This recipe ticks all the boxes as a dinner party appetizer: it has a show-stoping quality only fresh scallops matched with exotic fruit can have, it’s QUICK and EASY for even the worst of cooks, it’s light, healthy as can be and absolutely delectable.
A cordon bleu friend of ours kicked off New Year’s eve dinner with this dish and I’ve been dreaming of it since. So when I got my hands on uber fresh scallops just recently, I decided to attempt recreating it. His recipe only used mango as the fruit, but I had a perfectly ripe papaya on the counter that was begging to jump into this little al fresco “chef d’oeuvre”, so I obliged. If I had some fresh coconut, I may have also thrown that in too, but I leave that up to you!
Tip: Tartare needs to me made with only the freshest scallops and the most delicious fruit (perfectly ripe, sweet, etc) otherwise it risks total mediocrity.
Ingredients:
- 12 fresh scallops
- 1/2 cup mango, diced
- 1/2 cup papaya, diced
- 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
- Zest of 2 limes
- 1 tsp pink peppercorn, crushed
- 1/3 cup light vegetable oil (I use peanut or macademia)
- Juice of 1 lime
- 1 tsp sea salt
Instructions:
- Cut each scallop into 8 cubes and place in a large bowl
- Add the diced fruit, cilantro, lime zest and peppercorns and let rest, covered in the fridge
- Meanwhile, make a dressing by mixing the lime juice, oil and salt in a small bowl
- 30 minutes before serving, pour the dressing in the scallop and fruit mixture, cover and reserve in fridge.
- Serve on 4 small plates and decorate with a few leaves of cilantro