San Francisco-style Scallop Ceviche

Description
San Francisco-style Scallop Ceviche from the Wikibooks Cookbook—original source of recipe, licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License

A ceviche is a raw seafood dish, originating in Peru. This recipe adds a bit of a California twist by adding sliced avocado to the dish.
 * Serves: 4 (main dish), 6 (appetizer)

Ingredients

 * 1 pound (450 g) bay scallops
 * ½ cup (125 ml) lemon juice (about 3-4 lemons)
 * 4 red bell peppers, roasted, peeled, and seeded
 * 2 tablespoons (30 ml) balsamic vinegar
 * 2 tablespoons (30 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
 * ½ teaspoon (2.5 ml) cayenne pepper, ground
 * salt, to taste
 * 1 avocado, peeled and sliced

Directions

 * 1) In a non-reactive bowl, combine the scallops and lemon juice, add more juice as needed to cover the scallops. Refrigerate, covered, and stir often for 2 hours, until the scallops become opaque.
 * 2) For the sauce, add the bell peppers, vinegar, oil, cayenne, and salt into a food processor or blender, and purée.
 * 3) To serve, spoon the sauce onto individual plates, drain the scallops and place on the sauce. Garnish with slices of avocado.

Variations

 * For a more Southwestern flavor, replace ¼ cup lemon juice with lime juice, and replace the bell peppers with New Mexico chili peppers.

Warnings

 * Eating raw seafood is an effective way to get sick. Scallops are filter feeders found near shore, which makes them particularly filthy if sourced from a polluted area. Make sure you buy your scallops the day you plan to serve them, from a reputable fishmonger who can tell you something about where the scallops have come from, and when they were collected.