Nantucket Scallop Ceviche, Blood Orange Sauce From 'Daniel'

Updated April 15, 2019

I usually think of ceviches as quick, simple affairs. Cut up some seafood, throw it in a bowl with citrus juice, let it "cook" for a bit, and then serve. Daniel Boulud's scallop ceviche with blood orange sauce in his new cookbook, Daniel, is not that kind of ceviche. At its core, he does serve scallops lightly cured in a blended citrus juice—but these small tender scallops are then arranged with suprêmed blood oranges, brunoised vegetables, confited citron, chive oil, and tiny herb leaves. There's also a blood orange sauce, vibrantly red and spiked with a splash of Tabasco.

If you think this sounds like a lot of work for a ceviche, you're right. But the work actually pays off, and the final dish was probably the best ceviche I'd ever made, and certainly the prettiest. Make it now, while blood oranges are at their juiciest, and serve it as a dinner party appetizer.

Why I picked this recipe: The bright, fresh flavors of blood oranges, lime, and lemon juice are the perfect antidote to the long slog of heavy winter dishes.

What worked: Despite the profusion of garnishes, nothing felt out of place; each element complemented the sweet scallops and bright sauce.

What didn't: My old, dilapidated blender was no match for the blanched chives in the chive oil. If you have a similarly weak blender, consider blending the oil in a food processor.

Suggested tweaks: If you're not up for making the dish in it entirety, skip the chive oil and citron confit. The blood orange sauce and ceviche are simple; the crunch of the radish and celery provide necessary textural contrast, so don't skip them. I was only able to find white verjus, and it worked fine in place of the red in the sauce.

Recipe Details

Nantucket Scallop Ceviche, Blood Orange Sauce From 'Daniel'

Active 90 mins

Total 2 hrs 30 mins

Serves 4 servings

Ingredients

Blood Orange Sauce:

1/2 cup blood orange juice
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons red verjus (we recommend 8 Brix)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 splash Tabasco sauce
Salt and freshly ground white pepper

Scallop Ceviche:

1/4 cup orange juice
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons white verjus (we recommend 8 Brix)
1/4 teaspoon sugar
Salt
20 fresh bay scallops, muscle removed

To Finish:

Good-quality olive oil (we recommend Armando Manni Per Mio Figlio)
Salt and freshly ground white pepper
1 blood orange, cut into supremes
2 red radishes, cut into brunoise
1 tablespoon brunoised celery
Freshly grated zest of 1 lime
1 tablespoon nori sheet, cut into ¼ inch squares
2 red radishes, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons Buddha's Hand Citron Confit
1/4 cup basil leaves
1/4 cup yellow celery leaves
12 dill leaves
Chive Oil

Directions

For the Blood Orange Sauce: In a small bowl, whisk all the ingredients together; season with salt and pepper and reserve, chilled.
For the Scallop Ceviche: In a medium bowl, whisk the orange juice, lemon juice, lime juice, white verjus, sugar, and teaspoon salt until the sugar and salt are dissolved; cover and reserve, chilled. Rinse the scallops in cold water and pat dry.
Add the scallops to the juice 45 minutes before you are ready to serve and toss to coat.
To finish: Strain the juice from the scallops, then adjust the seasoning with the olive oil, salt, and pepper.
For each serving, arrange 5 scallops and 4 blood orange supremes into a circle in a chilled bowl. Add a sprinkling of brunoised radish and celery, lime zest, nori sheet, a few radish slices, and a few slices of Buddha’s hand citron confit. Garnish the top with 3 opal basil, celery leaves, and dill leaves. At the table, pour in blood orange sauce to reach halfway up the scallops and drizzle a few drops of chive oil and olive oil on top.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
197	Calories
11g	Fat
19g	Carbs
6g	Protein

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories	197
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 11g	14%
Saturated Fat 1g	6%
Cholesterol 11mg	4%
Sodium 775mg	34%
Total Carbohydrate 19g	7%
Dietary Fiber 1g	5%
Total Sugars 12g
Protein 6g
Vitamin C 56mg	278%
Calcium 38mg	3%
Iron 1mg	3%
Potassium 316mg	7%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.