Summer Watermelon Ceviche

Ceviche is one of my all time favorite dishes, and over the years I’ve come to appreciate shrimp and scallops as the perfect seafood to make it with. I like the texture and sweetness of this crustacean and shellfish and find them so easy to prep. One of my favorite twists, is to substitute the traditionally used tomato for whatever fruit suits your fancy. Nothing screams “summer loving” more than a ripe watermelon. The sweetness and natural sugar are so refreshing on a summer’s day and balance out the heat from the serrano peppers perfectly. This dish is like a juicy, spicy, summer love affair. ¡Sabroso!

INGREDIENTS

1/2 lb of Cleaned and Deveined Shrimp

1/2 lb of Sea or Bay Scallops

2 cups Watermelon

Bunch of Cilantro

3/4 Cup Red Onion

4 Limes (Room Temperature)

2 Serrano Peppers

2 Tbsps Agave Syrup

Dash of Mezcal

Salt

DIRECTIONS

Chop shrimp tails into quarters or approximately 1/2 inch bites.

If using large sea scallops, slice in half to make two shorter spheres, and then dice. If using small bay scallops, you can leave them whole. Try and make your shrimp and scallop pieces about the same size.

Add seafood to a large bowl, squeeze the juice of one lime (watch the seeds!) and stir to combine.

Finely chop the two serrano peppers. I do not de-seed or devein as I like the heat, but if you need to make it mild, go ahead. I like to julienne the peppers into thin strips and then dice. You want these to be very fine so you aren’t biting into a large piece of chili. Stir into the bowl.

Finely chop red onion and stir in.

Add the juice of another lime, a couple pinches of salt, a capful of mezcal, and a tablespoon of agave syrup and stir.

Cover and store in refrigerator for at least 3 hours or preferably over night.

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Strain ceviche using a colander with a bowl underneath to reserve the liquid. This juice is called leche de tigre and makes a great tequila chaser or mixed into a michelada!

Chop watermelon into 1/2 inch cubes or about the same size of the seafood bites. Stir into ceviche and add the juice of another lime.

Finely chop the cilantro. Depending on the size of your bunch, you may only need half. Mix the cilantro into the ceviche until it looks evenly distributed.

Add a pinch of salt, and if the ceviche is very spicy, another tbsp of agave syrup. Stir to combine. Strain the ceviche again before transferring to serving dish. Keep chilled until ready to serve. I like to spoon it onto corn tostadas with a slice of lime, or serve with corn tortilla chips. Works great with avocado slices as well. Enjoy with your favorite summer cocktail!

Find the story that inspired this recipe HERE.