CITRUS SEVICHE
The Barcelona Cookbook
by Sasa Mahr-batuz & Andy Pforzheimer
Seviche is not Spanish, but we had a chef a number of years ago named John Strong who came to us from a Cuban-fusion restaurant and made wonderful seviche. It fulfills a lot of requirements for a restaurant such as ours: it is exotic, easy to pick up, and uses extra shrimp when gambas' sales are slow. The orange rounds out the citrus and keeps the dish from "overcooking," which is what lemon and lime will do over time. The better the quality of the seafood you use, the better the seviche will taste.
Serves 6
Shrimp and Scallops
• 1 carrot, peeled and coarsely chopped
• 1 rib celery, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 Spanish onion, coarsely chopped
• 2 teaspoons sherry vinegar
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 pound pink or white shrimp (21-25 count)
• 1/2 pound giant dry scallops
Marinade
• Juice of 4 oranges
• Juice of 2 lemons
• Juice of 1 lime
• 4 whole oranges
• 1 whole lemon
• 1 whole lime
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded, cored, and sliced into 1/4-inch-wide strips
• 1 green bell pepper, seeded, cored, and sliced into 1/4-inch-wide strips
• 1 plum tomato, thinly sliced
• 1 red onion, very thinly sliced (preferably with a mandoline)
• 1 jalapeno pepper, very thinly sliced
• 1/2 bunch cilantro, thick stems removed, leaves and small stems finely chopped
• Kosher salt
• Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
Directions
1. For the shrimp and scallops: Put the carrot, celery and onion in a medium saucepan and add enough water to cover by an inch or two. Add the sherry, bay leaves, and salt and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Cook for about 40 minutes, adjusting the heat up or down to maintain the simmer.
2. Peel the shrimp and remove the tails. Slit each along the inside curve and rinse under cool running water.
3. Remove and discard the muscle from the scallops and cut each scallop in half horizontally.
4.. Drop the shrimp into the simmering broth and blanch for about 4 minutes, or until opaque. With a slotted spoon, lift the shrimp from the broth and lay on a baking sheet in a single layer to cool.
5. Drop the scallops into the simmering broth and blanch for about 3 minutes, or until opaque. Lift the scallops from the broth and lay on the baking sheet with the shrimp. Transfer the baking sheet to the refrigerator for at least 3 hours, until cold, or for up to 24 hours. There is no need to cover the seafood.
6. For the marinade: In a small bowl, stir together the orange, lemon, and lime juices.
7. Remove the skin from the whole oranges, the lemon, and the lime and, holding the fruit over the bowl to catch the juices, cut between the segments. Remove any white pith and then drop the segments into the juice.
8. Add the bell peppers, tomato, onion, jalapeno, and cilantro to the bowl and season to taste with salt.
9. Add the chilled seafood to the marinade. Toss well, cover, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 12 hours to allow the seafood to "cook" in the marinade.
10. Adjust the seasoning with salt. Serve in chilled bowls and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil.
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