Hosting A Small Group This Holiday? Start With This Scallop Crudo With Jalapeno Citrus Sauce Recipe

Our favorite easy appetizers? Ones that seem extra fancy, are unexpected, yet took you mere minutes to prep.

Well, this scallop crudo recipe as such an appetizer. Why? Well, first of all, crudo is a dish you never see outside of a restaurant.

Also, it can seem daunting or even scary to make it yourself. But the truth is so long as you get super fresh seafood and keep everything cold and clean you're all set.

Sea Scallop Crudo With Jalapeno Citrus And Smashed Avocados

This sea scallop crudo is inspired by California as it combines some of our favorite local ingredients -- citrus, avocado, seafood. Also, it's a mix of ingredients you see in cuisines, namely, Japanese, Mexican, and Italian, throughout the Golden State.

This is a dish that's all about balance. The mix of spicy jalapeno, warm ginger, bright citrus, and fruity olive oil are what make it delicious.

We get it --- you love ginger and jalapenos and feel like more is better. But that's not the case with this recipe. Go light on all the ingredients so that the flavor of the seafood really shines through.

Before we dive into this scallop recipe, let's go over a few keys.

What Is Crudo?

First off, what exactly is crudo? The word crudo (pronounced "crew-dough") means raw in Spanish and Italian and refers to a category of raw dishes. Usually crudo is made with some sort of animal protein, say, seafood, fish, or meat.

Crudo is usually raw fish that is thinly sliced and lightly dressed with a combination of olive oil and citrus juice. But there aren't really any hard set rules as to the shape, size, or exact ingredients.

Since the definition is so broad, it's widely accepted that carpaccio -- thinly sliced raw meat -- is a type of crudo.

How Is Crudo Different From Sashimi and Ceviche?

The easiest way to think about it is that sashimi and ceviche have more culinary rules around how they're made. There are a lot of rules around traditional Japanese sashimi. As in everything from how the fish is killed, how it's sliced, and how it's served is carefully dictated.

Ceviche is like crudo with way more citrus juice and that extra acid essentially "cooks" the protein. Okay, if you define cooking as the "application of heat to an ingredient" then ceviche is not technically cooked. But people say that ceviches is cooked because the fish sits in the citrus juice for quite a while. That time in the acidic juice alters the texture similar to the way cooking (applying heat) does.

Tips For Making Crudo

Making crudo at home is really fast and easy which is why it's a pretty perfect appetizer to serve for company. However, there are a few crucial tips you'll want to follow so that it's healthy and delicious.

• Keep It Clean: Yes, you should always have clean hands, clean surfaces, and clean equipment when you cook. But that's even more essential when you're preparing raw ingredients.
• Buy The Freshest Seafood: Also, go to a reputable seafood source and buy the freshest seafood they have. Let them know that you're making crudo so they can be sure to give you the best of the best. If that isn't scallops, no problem! This dish would be delicious with numerous other white seafoods like yellowtail, halibut, or even shrimp.
• Keep The Seafood Cold: Try to purchase the seafood the same day that you're going to use it. And store it wrapped in plastic nested in a bowl on ice to keep it super cold.
• Use A Very Sharp Knife: This is the time to pull out your best sharpest knife because you want to make sure you slice the fish in a way that doesn't tear it apart too much. Your best bets are a very sharp slicing knife or a sushi knife if you have one on hand.
• Slice In Long Strokes: No matter which knife you use, make sure it's sharp and then slice with intent. What we mean is to slice in long steady strokes instead of short choppy ones. Again this is to make sure you don't ruin the fish texture as you prepare it.
• Don't Go Overboard On Ingredients: The seafood is key in this recipe so don't overwhelm it. This recipe does have quite a few ingredients but we don't use to many of any one ingredient because we want the seafood to shine through.
• And Use A Fruity Olive Oil: Speaking of, not only do you want a high quality extra virgin olive oil but also choose one that is fruity. The reason is that a more green, spicy olive oil will overtake the dish.
• Serve It Immediately: Finally, serve the scallops as soon as you have prepared them. That will not only make for the brightest, freshest flavor but also they'll keep nice and cold.

What Wine To Pour With This Crudo

We made this recipe for the "What Grows Together Goes Together" Instagram Live series on California Grown with SommVivant Amanda McCrossin. She paired this dish with a bright, traditionally made California sparkling wine: 2013 Caraccioli Brut Cuvee.

See The Recipe Made Step By Step

Heads up that Aida made this recipe on her IGTV so head there to check it out!

Go stock up on all your cooking essentials then head into the kitchen, make this, and share it with us by tagging @saltandwind and #swsociety on social!

PIN IT FOR LATER!