This simple scallop crudo uses a quick Japanese-inspired ponzu sauce made of lime juice, gluten-free tamari and honey. Served over sliced green apples, it has the perfect balance of sweet and sour that you want with raw seafood. You can use bay scallops or scale it up for company – it’s the best summer dinner party appetizer!
I’ll admit that it took me a long time to try my hand at raw scallops at home, despite having eaten so many around the world. As far as raw seafood recipes are concerned, you were more likely to find me slinging shrimp aquachile. But now a scallop crudo is among my favorite things to make when I’m trying to impress friends (or just myself!).
I have many memories of eating Italian style scallop crudo in the southern part of the country and Sicily, where they garnish the buttery seafood with a little coarse sea salt, good olive oil, and maybe a hint of citrus zest.
When you eat raw scallops at a Japanese or sushi restaurant as a piece of nigiri, often it will come with a brush of ponzu sauce or a hint of spicy yuzu koshu.
Most recently, I had a southeast Asian version at Thai Diner in New York City, which served the scallops in a sea of tangy passion-fruit vinaigrette.
As much as I love the simpler versions, when I started making scallop crudo at home, the best combination I ever tried used that signature mix of sweet and sour: a ponzu sauce using lime juice, a hint of honey, and a bed of thinly sliced green apples.
How to make fine dining inspired scallop crudo:
The sauce itself is easy as can be, and the presentation will have your friends thinking they are at a fine dining establishment (you don’t need to tell them the recipe only took you 10 minutes!).
The only time-consuming element is prepping the scallops. You want to rinse them well of all grit and remove the tough outer muscle from the sides. After, you’ll slice them width-wise into 3 or more thin slivers, depending on the size of your scallops.
If you like heat, I’d recommend using the serrano or jalapeno pepper as a garnish and finishing off the plate with some fresh mint. The scallops are mild, but can stand up to all those flavors in a crudo.
The only place you can go astray is by marinating the scallops in the sauce too early, which will turn your dish into a scallop ceviche (still delicious, just consult this striped bass ceviche!). The nice thing about perching the raw scallops on top of the apples is that they are elevated slightly from the sauce, so are fairly protected from swimming in it.
Other than that, do your best to slice the scallops thin, but any imperfections can be hidden under the garnishes.
Read on for this easy scallop crudo recipe!
With health and hedonism,
Phoebe
The Best Raw Scallop Crudo with Lime & Apples
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 2 tablespoons gluten-free tamari or soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 1 green apple skin-on, sliced paper-thin
- ½ pound large sea scallops side muscle removed, thinly sliced crosswise
- Maldon sea salt or other coarse salt
- 1 serrano pepper thinly sliced (optional)
- ¼ cup fresh torn mint leaves or finely chopped chives optional
Instructions
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In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the lime juice, gluten-free tamari, and honey.
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Arrange the apples and thinly sliced scallops in overlapping rows on a platter. Season the scallops with coarse salt.
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Drizzle the scallops with the ponzu dressing and garnish with the serrano pepper and mint leaves, if using.