Saturday, July 12, 2014


It's already midsummer, and I've yet to post anything about food. To remedy that error, I will describe yesterday's impromptu romantic meal. Halfway through the morning, Tom and I realized that no boys would be home for dinner. Golly, what should we do with ourselves? Eat seafood was the obvious answer, so I drove to the fish market in Skowhegan to see what I could find. What I brought home was a dozen Taunton Bay oysters, which Tom shucked and served on the comical enameled tin pie plate that my Great-Aunt Joan once mailed me for reasons that still seem unclear. However, as you can see from the table setting, it goes charmingly with the 50s-era diner table that we found in a garage as well as the red-striped drinking glasses from the Goodwill and the pale blue plates that my grandmother bought in the early 60s on piece-by-piece special from a New Jersey grocery store.


After we ate the oysters and finished listening to a Stevie Wonder record, I made scallop ceviche. I quartered the scallops (a pound of big fat fresh ones from New Bedford, Massachusetts, via the Skowhegan fish market) and mixed them with a pint of halved cherry tomatoes, three minced garlic scapes, a handful of chopped infant leeks, a sprinkle of cayenne, and a half cup of freshly squeezed lime juice. I let all of that sit in the refrigerator for 45 minutes, stirring it occasionally as I emptied the dishwasher, cooked Indian black-pepper rice (recipe available on request), listened to a Charlie Parker record, and giggled at Tom, who was in a silly and insouciant mood all evening. Just before serving the ceviche, I added a diced avocado, salt and pepper, and a handful of finely chopped mixed herbs: parsley, cilantro, and basil. And voila.


7 comments:

Carlene said...

...and did you have Prosecco?

The meal sounds delightful, and thanks for providing the soundtrack too. =)

Ruth said...

My local market makes ceviche and I do trust them. The "Fish Lady" is from Guatemala and introduced the community to this delicacy. I just made garlic scape pesto with pistachios.

Sheila said...

You and Tom have so much fun together! You're lucky to have such a great marriage. I'm sure you've worked hard to keep it that way.

Carol Willette Bachofner said...

Hmmmm. are the scallops raw? I could not do that. You may call me nutty (and there are many reasons to do that!) but I think of raw seafood as bait, not as something I would eat! LOL

I would love the rice recipe. Your foodie posts are always so appealing.

Dawn Potter said...

Ceviche is "cooked," not through heat but through the scallops' chemical reaction with the citrus juice. It's very interesting to watch the process happen, and the longer you leave the fish in the juice, the more thoroughly it is cooked.

Dawn Potter said...

Black-Pepper Rice

Bring to a boil: 8 cups water, 1 T. butter, 1 bay leaf, juice of 1/2 a lime. Add 1 1/2 c. basmati or jasmine rice. Cook uncovered at a simmer for 15 mins. Drain; pick out bay leaf; cool rice slightly. Then transfer rice to a platter. Toss with another tablespoon of butter, salt to taste, and a large quantity of black pepper. Serve at room temperature. This is an excellent side dish for grilled meats and vegetables.

Dawn Potter said...

And Sheila: thanks for that reminder. Sometimes marriage seems like the most tedious relationship on earth, and then it morphs into the most wonderful one.