In the Edible Kitchen: Autumn Scallop Aguachile

Photo by Michael Piazza / Styled by Catrine Kelty

Living on the South Coast of Massachusetts, I constantly find myself outdoors. Whether I’m on a six-mile run through the woods or a beautiful stroll by the cranberry bogs, each season is a chance for me to explore the elements and the bounty that comes from them. In the fall, I eat sweet, juicy pears from our Seckel pear tree and crisp apples from the farms nearby. Fall is also the opening of bay scallop season in Southeastern MA. And with a harvest of nearly 50 million pounds per year, sea scallops are the reason New Bedford is the most profitable fishing port in the U.S.

As someone who loves and specializes in Mexican cuisine, and thanks to this plentiful access to scallops and fruit from the farms where I live, I often turn to a seasonal scallop ceviche or aguachile as an exciting dish to simply—yet elegantly—showcase these exciting seasonal ingredients. This dish is perfect for a quick, flavorful appetizer for any autumn occasion.

Serve 2–3

½ pound sea scallops, sliced in half crosswise (or tiny Nantucket bay scallops, if available)
1 lime
¼ cup buttermilk
¼ cup coconut milk
2 serrano peppers
¼ white onion, peeled
1 yellow bell pepper, deseeded and deveined
1 green pear, peeled, seeded and diced
1 Honeycrisp apple, peeled, seeded and diced
1 garlic clove, peeled
1 teaspoon ground turmeric (or ½ teaspoon freshly grated turmeric)
salt to taste
½ bulb fresh fennel, shaved on a mandoline and soaked in ice water for 10 minutes then drained, for serving
8 Concord grapes or other deep purple grapes, halved, for serving
¼ cup mixed whole cilantro, tarragon and dill leaves, for serving
tortilla chips, for serving

Season scallops with salt and zest the lime over the top. Set aside for 10 minutes. Juice the lime and set aside.

Blend coconut milk and buttermilk together and pour over scallops. Set to rest for another 10 minutes.

While the scallops are marinating, combine serranos, onion, bell pepper, diced pear and apple, garlic and turmeric with the reserved lime juice in a blender and add a little cold water to help liquify everything.

Once puréed, pour mixture through a fine-mesh strainer set over a bowl and press out all the liquid; you will be left with a thick pulp in the strainer, which you can discard. In the bowl there will be a bright and clear yellow liquid; season with salt to taste.

Take scallops out of the lime zest and coconut milk mixture one by one (don’t drain) and layer like shingles on one side of a shallow bowl.

Pour the yellow liquid over seasoned scallops and into the empty part of the bowl until scallops are halfway covered (you may not use all the liquid). Garnish with some shaved fennel, Concord grape halves, cilantro, tarragon and dill. Serve with tortilla chips for dipping.

This recipe appeared in the Fall 2023 issue.