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Ingredients
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Seafood & Marinade
Vegetables & Herbs
Finish & Garnish
Method
Seafood & Marinade
- 1
Prepare seafood
Rinse scallops and pat dry. Cut larger bay scallops in half if needed so most pieces are bite-size. If shrimp are raw, bring a small pot of salted water to a simmer, add shrimp, and cook 1–2 minutes until just opaque; drain and immediately cool in an ice bath, then chop into 1/2-inch pieces. If using pre-cooked shrimp, chop as above.
- 2
Cure in citrus
Place scallops and chopped shrimp in a nonreactive bowl. Pour the lime and lemon juice over the seafood so it's fully submerged. Add 1 tsp sea salt and 1/2 tsp black pepper; stir gently to combine. Cover and refrigerate for 20–30 minutes, stirring once halfway, until seafood is opaque and 'cooked' through by the citrus. Taste one piece for texture — scallops should be firm but tender.
Vegetables & Herbs
- 3
Prepare vegetables
While seafood cures, thinly slice the English cucumbers into 1/4-inch rounds; pat dry and reserve 24 the nicest rounds for serving. Finely dice 1/4 cup red onion, seed and dice the tomato to measure 1/2 cup, and finely chop the jalapeño (remove seeds for milder heat). Roughly chop 1/4 cup fresh cilantro.
- 4
Drain and combine
After the seafood has cured, use a slotted spoon to lift the seafood out of the citrus (reserve about 1/4 cup of the citrus liquid). Place the seafood in a bowl and gently fold in the diced red onion, tomato, jalapeño, and cilantro. If you prefer a slightly more pickled onion, you may briefly rinse the diced onion in cold water before adding.
Finish & Garnish
- 5
Dress the ceviche
Add the reserved 1/4 cup citrus liquid, 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, and 1 teaspoon lime zest to the seafood-vegetable mixture. Gently fold to combine. If using avocado, fold in the 1/2 cup small-diced avocado just before plating so it doesn’t brown. Adjust seasoning with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
- 6
Assemble on cucumber rounds
Arrange cucumber rounds on a serving platter. Using a small spoon, place about 1 tablespoon of the ceviche mixture on each cucumber round (you will have enough for about 24 rounds). Garnish each round with a small microgreen or cilantro sprig. If desired, drizzle a few drops of extra-virgin olive oil over the platter and finish with a small pinch of lime zest on top of several bites.
- 7
Serve
Serve immediately chilled. Ceviche is best eaten the same day; if storing, keep seafood and cucumber separately and consume within 12 hours.