One in all my favourite Thai dishes is eggplant salad, made with grilled lengthy eggplant and a punchy dressing of lime juice, fish sauce, dried shrimp, chili, palm sugar, cilantro, and shallots. The Thai title of the dressing is nam yum. Along with my pal Melvin, I got here up with the thought of remodeling this right into a scallop ceviche by changing the eggplant with uncooked scallops. The unique salad is usually served with a medium-boiled egg so as to add a creamy ingredient, however since scallops have already got a naturally creamy texture, we determined to depart the egg out. The outcome was scrumptious and has positively earned a spot in my repertoire. For a chic presentation, I organized the scallop slices within the form of a flower: the strong parts of the dressing type the ‘flower head’ on the heart, surrounded by six scallop slices as ‘petals’, with cilantro leaves encircling the entire. I used 350 grams of scallops for this recipe, and the quantity of dressing was excellent for that amount. In case your scallops are considerably bigger or smaller, you could wish to alter the opposite components accordingly.
Elements
Serves 4 as an appetizer
- 14 scallops (complete weight roughly 350 grams/.77 lbs)
- 4 Tbps (36 grams) dried shrimp, divided
- 1 or 2 small crimson Thai chili
- 20 grams (2 Tbsp) minced Thai palm sugar
- 40 grams (1/3 cup) minced shallots
- 2 Tbsp (30 ml) fish sauce
- 3 Tbsp (45 ml) freshly squeezed lime juice
- 6-8 sprigs cilantro, leaves and stems separate
Directions
Use a spice grinder or small blender to grind 1 tablespoon of dried shrimp…
…till you acquire a fluffy powder.
Rinse the scallops underneath chilly water and pat them dry completely with paper towels. Then, slice every scallop in half horizontally to create two evenly thick discs.
Prepare the scallop slices in a bowl or on a plate, sprinkling every layer with floor dried shrimp. Distributing the shrimp powder this manner ensures even protection with out the necessity to stir the scallops an excessive amount of, which might trigger them to tear or lose their form.
Add 2 tablespoons of fish sauce.
You probably have a chamber vacuum sealer, you may velocity up the marinating course of by vacuum-sealing the scallops along with the marinade. In any other case, merely cowl the bowl and let the scallops marinate within the fridge for at the very least an hour. Should you’re brief on time, you may add the lime juice at this stage as effectively. Nonetheless, I favor to let the scallops marinate longer in simply the fish sauce and salt first, to keep away from ‘overcooking’ them within the lime juice, which might agency up their texture an excessive amount of.
Place the remaining 3 tablespoons of dried shrimp in a bowl and canopy them with scorching or boiling water. Let the shrimp soak for at the very least 10 minutes to melt.
I used only one small crimson chili and eliminated the seeds. Should you favor extra warmth, you may depart the seeds in—and even use two chilies with seeds for further spice. I prefer to mince the chilies earlier than including them to the mortar, as this makes it simpler to pound them right into a easy paste with the pestle.
Add 20 grams of minced palm sugar to the mortar…
…and pound till it has totally dissolved.
Add the soaked shrimp to the mortar…
…and pound them along with the chili and palm sugar till you obtain a rough paste.
About half an hour earlier than serving, add 3 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lime juice to the scallops. Should you’ve vacuum-sealed them, reduce open the bag slightly below the seal, add the lime juice, give it a delicate shake to distribute, and reseal.
Let the scallops proceed marinating within the fridge for one more half-hour. Should you haven’t vacuum-sealed the scallops, the lime juice won’t totally cowl them. In that case, you should definitely stir the scallops gently just a few occasions through the marinating course of to make sure they’re ‘cooked’ evenly.
To serve, switch the contents of the mortar to a bowl. Place a sieve over the bowl and pour within the scallops, permitting the marinade to pressure by. This manner, the scallops are gently drained whereas the flavorful liquid is collected beneath.
Prepare the scallops on 4 plates, putting one slice within the heart of every plate and 6 slices round it in a circle to type a flower-like sample.
Add 40 grams of minced shallots and the finely chopped stems from 6 to eight sprigs of cilantro to the bowl with the dressing. Additionally add any shrimp powder which will have been left behind within the sieve to the bowl, to make sure that not one of the flavorful seasoning goes to waste.
Stir effectively to mix all of the components evenly.
Place 1 / 4 of the strong a part of the dressing on the middle scallop of every plate. Drizzle the remaining liquid dressing evenly over the scallops. End by arranging cilantro leaves across the exterior, putting one leaf between every pair of scallop slices.
Serve instantly. Let your company know that the strong a part of the dressing was positioned on the middle scallop for presentation functions solely, and that they need to distribute it over all of the scallops earlier than consuming.
Wine pairing
This dish pairs superbly with the identical model of wine that enhances Thai eggplant salad: an unoaked white with a contact of fragrant character and a medium to full physique. Slightly than counting on sharp acidity, the wine ought to have construction from mild bitterness, which balances the richness of the scallops and the umami of the dressing. Southern Italian whites are a terrific match—consider a Pecorello from Calabria or an Inzolia from Sicily. These wines supply delicate floral and natural notes, a rounded mouthfeel, and simply sufficient freshness to elevate the dish with out overwhelming it.
