In the Mood for Crudo

I was in the mood for crudo the past weekend. I picked up some beautiful sea scallops at Santa Monica Seafood ready for a super fresh dish. I absolutely adore raw scallops. Scallop sushi with a teeny bit of yuzu juice and salt is one of my favorite treats.

I had a few ingredients I really wanted to utilize in this dish – sumac and O Olive Oil’s lemon oil. Sumac is the dried and ground berries of the Rhus species of plants. It is used in Middle Eastern and Greek cuisine and lends a tangy flavor to savory dishes. I complemented the scallops with an avocado mousse and citrus salsa that was made with pink lemon, meyer lemon, tangelo and blood orange. I plated the thinly sliced scallop on top of the avocado puree and spooned the citrus salsa along with other side. I lightly salted the scallop slices with kosher salt and drizzled a bit of lemon oil over them. A sprinkling of minced chives on one half of the scallops and citrus salsa and a sprinkling of tangy sumac over the other half and the avocado puree finished the dish. The scallops were so fresh. The combination of the tangy bright flavors against the briny sweetness of the scallops and the mild and smooth avocado mousse was very enjoyable.

I couldn’t stop myself from picking up some kampachi too though remembering when I made a delicious crudo way back. I ate this one very simply with a sprinkling of salt, drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, a spoonful of the citrus salsa and chives. Also delicious and fresh.