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Scallop Ceviche with Sour Squash Leche de Tigre

Fresh scallops are wonderful when sliced finely and served as part of a ceviche. The sour squash for this unique Leche de Tigre is made by lacto-fermenting cubed squash in salt. You can skip this step by combining some rice vinegar, fish stock or sauce, and lime juice with a cooked squash puree.

Ingredients

For the Fermented Squash:

  • 16 oz Butternut Squash, (rind removed, flesh cut into 1” cubes)
  • 11 g Kosher salt

For the Fermented Squash Leche de Tigre:

  • ¼ cup fermented squash ( pureed)
  • 2 Tbsp Aji Amarillo paste
  • Zest of 2 limes
  • Juice of 2 limes
  • 1 small garlic clove, (finely minced)
  • 3 Tbsp of homemade fish stock, ( or 2 tsp fish sauce)
  • Kosher salt, to taste

For the Remaining Ceviche Components:

  • 16 oz (1 lb) fresh sea scallops, (sliced thinly)
  • ½ cup fresh cilantro, (finely chopped)
  • ½ small red onion, ( thinly sliced)
  • ¼ fresh jalapeno, ( thinly sliced)
  • Salt, to taste

Instructions 

For the Fermented Squash:

  • Coat the cubed squash in the Kosher salt, and place in a large freezer-safe ziplock bag.
  • Remove all the air from the bag that you can, and allow the mixture to sit at room temperature overnight.
  • Remove the air from the bag again the following day, mix the squash around, and carefully re-seal the bag and wait for another day.
  • *The fermentation with release CO2, which will fill the bag with air. Make sure you don’t forget about your fermenting squash!
  • Repeat this process for 5 days, until the squash is soft, and has taken on a strong fermented odor.
  • Place in the fridge in an airtight container, and use over the next few weeks.

For the Fermented Squash Leche de Tigre:

  • Puree ¼ cup of the fermented squash you made earlier.
  • Add the Aji Amarillo paste, lime zest, lime juice, minced garlic, fish stock or fish sauce, and Kosher salt to taste.

For the Remaining Ceviche Components:

  • Finely slice the fresh sea scallops.
  • Combine the scallops with the Leche de Tigre, chopped cilantro, and finely-sliced red onions and jalapeno.
  • Allow the mixture to sit for an hour in the fridge before serving.
  • Taste the mixture, and add additional lime or salt as desired.

Notes

This dish is best prepared an hour or so in advance of being served. After a day or two of sitting in the marinade, the scallops will take on a less desirable, chewier texture.