Simple Scallop Ceviche

My friend Serge, chef/owner of Serevan, likes to fly.  About once a week he rents a small plane and flies to Provincetown to pick up oysters, clams, scallops and mussels for his restaurant.  Our house is on his way home and he sometimes stops in to let us share the bounty.

He came by last night when a few friends were here, and we stood around the kitchen opening the oysters (they were Chathams), eating them with nothing more than lemon.  Just out of the water, they were fresh, briny, brimming with juice, each a joyful shot of energy.

Then Serge decided to make ceviche.  The scallops were so fresh - just hours out of the water - that he simply sliced them.  Then he took a dive into went my refrigerator and pulled out some jalapenos which he shredded into slivers, along with chives and bits of blood orange.  Grating orange rind across the top, he added a bit of salt and showered the scallops with blood orange juice, which lent them a slightly exotic flavor.  A splash of lime and a few glugs of olive oil.

I have to say, it was one of the best things I've ever eaten.

Incidentally, we both agree that the common practice of discarding the adductor muscle is a big mistake; not only is it sadly wasteful, but that bit of chew is a fine contrast to the silky texture of the scallops.

And here is the end of the oysters.....