Still Life with Seashells, by Andres Segovia.
Recipe below: Scallops Crudo with Lemon Thyme, Peperoncino, and Pine Nuts
I will eat any funky, spiky, mushy, or rubbery raw piece of seafood put in front of me, and, luckily, with no ill effect, so far. I like raw octopus, clams, shrimp, mackerel, and every ceviche I’ve ever tasted, except those too loaded with cilantro. I’ve sampled lots of crudo, Italy’s answer to sushi, which seems to be more popular here than over there. I have been served raw sea urchin, swordfish, and tuna in Sicily. In Puglia I’ve tasted anchovies and sardines, lightly “cooked” in lemon and olive oil. All good, especially the Palermo beach sea urchins. But I can’t say I’ve spent much time preparing raw fish in my own home, at least not in a while. I feel that’s about to change. I think it has to do with the fresh herb season coming to an end.
As the warm weather starts to slip away I feel that common human confusion, energized to start new projects but also nostalgic for heat and how good it makes my body feel. Lately I get a little scared of the cold. Culinarily speaking, I’m eyeing my remaining herb pots with sadness, thinking death is right around the corner. After fussing over the occasionally recalcitrant plants all summer, I’m hoping I can coax some of them into hibernation, like our big, round woodchucks, until the spring.
I’ve still got a bushy pot of lemon thyme on my deck, but I plan to bring it in soon and attempt to winter it over. In my experience the most successful winter-surviving herbs have been the woody Mediterranean ones, perennials like thyme, rosemary, oregano, and sage. Of course, nothing is truly a perennial in cold Manhattan or upstate New York, where I now have my small cottage. But every spring the mint in my city stoop pot wakes up and grows crazily with shoots and long roots. That herb has tenacity. The power of weeds.
My lemon thyme still looks and smells so beautiful that I’ve decided to capture some of its fleeting essence by adding it to this scallop crudo. Lemon thyme and raw scallops, I’ve discovered, tastes even better than lemon thyme with cooked scallops. This is a true crudo, not a ceviche that would need marinating, so the entire dish comes together in a few minutes. You want to keep the scallops pristinely raw and tender.
I’ve added a little colatura to the preparation. That’s a Southern Italian anchovy-based fish sauce. It’s pungent and rich and imparts an umami taste sensation similar to that of soy sauce. It’s very much worth getting to know, You’ll want only a few drops here, to heighten, not overpower, the sweetness of the scallops. I use a brand called Netunno, which is produced on the Amalfi Coast. It’s sold by gustiamo.com, the fine Italian food importer.
I always find when creating raw seafood dishes that I need to be careful adding flavors. I tinkered with this one for a while and finally found what I think is a good balance of acidy, sweet, and saline. The pine nuts add warmth and creaminess, the lemon thyme is assertive, the peperoncino adds subtle heat. If you don’t have colatura, you can use soy sauce. I prefer shoyu, the white version, which won’t mask the whiteness of the scallops.
(Serves 2 as a first course)
4 large, dry sea scallops, the side muscles removed, thinly sliced crosswise (sticking the scallops in the freezer for about 5 minutes before slicing them will help you get thin, even slices, but don’t let them freeze; you want them just cold)
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice, plus the grated zest from 1 lemon
A pinch of sugar
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil (use a fruity one, low on bitterness)
5 drops colatura or shoyu white soy sauce.
5 large sprigs lemon thyme, stemmed, the leaves lightly chopped, plus the leaves from a few more sprigs for garnish
½ fresh, red peperoncino, seeded and minced
1 scallion, white and tender green, minced
A small palmful of lightly toasted pine nuts
Coarse sea salt
Lay the scallop slices out on two small plates, arranging them in a circle.
In a small bowl, mix together the lemon juice and zest, sugar, olive oil, colatura, lemon thyme, and pepperoncino.
Drizzle the dressing onto the scallops. Sprinkle on the scallion and the pine nuts, and season with a little coarse sea salt. Garnish with the remaining thyme leaves. Serve right away.
I like the idea of following this light dish with a quick pasta, maybe spaghetti with a cherry tomato sauce, or penne with zucchini and ricotta.
