Adapted from John Martinez, Super Linda, Manhattan

Ingredients

  • 5 serrano chiles, stemmed and seeded
  • ¾ cup lime juice, strained
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 pound bay scallops, cut in half, or sea scallops, sliced into thin discs
  • 1 English cucumber, trimmed and thinly sliced
  • 6 to 8 large red radishes, trimmed and thinly sliced
  • 2 large ripe avocados
  • Sea salt
  • 2 small red onions, peeled, very thinly sliced, rinsed in cold water for 1 minute and dried
  • 4 tablespoons best-quality olive oil, or as needed
  • ¼ cup finely chopped cilantro
  • 6 to 8 pequin chiles, toasted and finely ground, or 1 teaspoon ground chipotle chiles Saltines or tortilla chips, for serving
  • Nutritional Information
    • Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

      471 calories; 33 grams fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 22 grams monounsaturated fat; 4 grams polyunsaturated fat; 30 grams carbohydrates; 11 grams dietary fiber; 7 grams sugars; 18 grams protein; 27 milligrams cholesterol; 978 milligrams sodium

    • Note: Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available data.

4 servings or 8 appetizer servings

Preparation

  1. Place 3 serrano chiles, the lime juice and the salt in a blender and blend on high until smooth. Refrigerate.
  2. If necessary, remove connective muscle from the scallops and gently rinse under cold water. Place on a plate lined with paper towels and refrigerate. On each of four or eight serving plates, arrange cucumber slices around the edge and overlap radish slices inside that ring. Peel and pit the avocados, quarter them, then slice thinly and arrange on each plate inside the radish slices.
  3. In a bowl, dress the scallops with the chile mixture and marinate for 5 minutes. Season the avocado, radish and cucumber with salt. Arrange the scallops over the avocado, and spoon the chile mixture on top. Slice the 2 remaining serrano chiles crosswise. Sprinkle serranos and onions over the plate and drizzle with good olive oil. Sprinkle with the chopped cilantro and garnish with a sprinkling of ground toasted pequin chiles. Serve with saltine crackers or tortilla chips.
  • Slice off the tip of a serrano and taste it. If it is very hot, split the chiles and remove the stems and seeds. If it is mild, leave them.

30 minutes

Dining and Cooking