Mock Ceviche
Instructions:
- There are a couple of reasons to cook “ceviche” (you can’t
rightly call cooked fish ceviche, any more than you can
serve cooked steak tartare). It makes the fish more tender,
and it’s a good a form of reassurance: No one will worry
about eating raw fish.
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 pound shrimp (any size)
- 1/2 pound sea scallops, tendons removed if you like
- 1/2 pound cleaned squid, cut into rings (tentacles left whole)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small chile, like Thai or jalapeño, seeded and minced, or to taste (or use hot red pepper flakes or cayenne)
- 1/2 cup diced red onion
- 1 small clove garlic, minced (optional)
- 1/4 cup diced red or yellow bell pepper (optional)
- 1/4 cup diced tomato (optional)
- 1/4 cup diced avocado (optional)
- 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves, roughly chopped
- Bring about 2 quarts of water to a boil and salt it. Add the shrimp, reduce the heat to medium, and cook for about 4 minutes, or until they are pink and firm.
- Remove with a slotted spoon and run under cold water to chill. Peel and set aside.
- Cook the scallops and squid together in the same water until the scallops are firm and not quite cooked through and the squid is fairly tender, about 2 minutes.
- Remove with a slotted spoon (reserve the cooking water) and run under cold water to chill, then combine with the shrimp.
- Toss the seafood with the olive oil and, if you like, cover and refrigerate until ready to serve, for up to 24 hours.
- Toss with all the remaining ingredients except the cilantro, then taste and adjust the seasoning; if the mixture is dry, add a little more olive oil or lime juice or some of the cooking water. Stir in most of the cilantro, then garnish with the rest and serve.