Bay Scallop Ceviche

It's not often that I give you just the straight recipe. I know, this is half food blog and half just random thoughts and life tales from some girl. But I just got to Houston less than 24 hours ago- and I'm sure you're thinking that I was in Virginia just a few days ago. You are correct, I travel A LOT- and it's muggy and humid and just the way that Houston should be. It's also February and there are flowers blooming at my very dear friends house. And before I even stepped outside the airport I had already forsaken my heavy New York clothes for the Houston uniform of tees, shorts and sandals.

So this recipe is perfect, because it's exactly what I am craving right now. A light seafood salad of sorts, laid back and fitting to the atmosphere. And while I made it in Virginia a week ago for the anti-S.A.D. party, it would be perfect on a day like today, over half an avocado perhaps, the puckery limes mixing perfectly with the buttery scallops and the crunch of the jalapeno and red onion. It's definitely a summer meal, or at least a Houston meal.

Scallop Ceviche (this is my Grandmother's recipe- the one from South America who spent the majority of her life in Peru)

11/2 lbs. bay scallops (or shark, tuna, shrimp)

1/2 sliced small red onion
3/4 c. lime juice ---need to cover the seafood
1 thinly sliced habanero Chile, seeded- or jalapeno
1 Tbl. aji
1/2 c. cilanto leaves, chopped
1 sweet potatoes
1 sweet corn on the cob-cut into 4-5 pieces
4 butter lettuce leaves

1 small tomato, seeded and diced

1. Rinse diced fish and slivered red onion in cold water and dry. In large bowl, combine seafood, red onion, habanero, aji and lime juice. Lime juice needs to cover seafood. Cover and refrigerate several hours. Scallops will start out an opaque pink and then gradually become white as they cook in the acid.

2. Just before serving, stir in cilantro. Arrange plate or serving dish with lettuce leaves. Place drained ceviche on lettuce leaves on a serving dish or individual plates. Arrange cooked peeled sweet potato and cook corn around ceviche.

If you want, you can leave off the corn and sweet potato and just serve seafood salad style over half an avocado.