Mock Ceviche

We made this several months ago at my house, and went crazy over it. We were all like, "Ahhh! Where's the camera? We have to blog this! It's so good!" But we were at my house and Alex's camera was out of batteries and we could only get a few shots with my mom's camera before discovering that we had eaten it all.

We made it again last night for guests, and just as we were spooning it onto plates, we were all like "Ahhh! Waaaait! We have to blog it this time -- it's so good!" Sadly, once again, we only got a few quick shots before discovering, once again, that it was all gone. This time, however, we've decided to go ahead and post the recipe anyway.

The mock ceviche is from Mark Bittman's The Best Recipes in the World, but you can also find it here. It's a brilliant way to get the flavors we love from ceviche, without the risk of getting sick from grocery store-purchased fish. Prepare it in advance and let it sit as long as you like, but we'll bet you can hardly make it until serving time.

Ingredients:
Salt and pepper
1/2 lb. shrimp, any size
1/2 lb. sea scallops
1/2 lb. cleaned squid, cut into rings (tentacles left whole)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 small chili, like Thai or jalapeño, seeded, stemmed and minced
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1 small clove garlic, minced
2 tbsp minced red or yellow bell peppers, optional
1/4 cup diced tomato flesh, optional
1/4 cup diced avocado, optional
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/2 cup cilantro leaves, barely chopped

Instructions:
Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add a dash of salt. Add shrimp, reduce heat to medium, and cook about 4 minutes, until pink and firm. Remove, run under cold water. Peel and set aside. Cook scallops and squid together in same water for 2 minutes, or until scallops are firm and not quite cooked through and squid is fairly tender. Remove and run under cold water, then combine with shrimp. Toss seafood with olive oil and, if you like, cover and refrigerate until ready to serve (up to 24 hours). Toss with remaining ingredients except cilantro, then taste, and adjust seasoning. Stir in most of cilantro, garnish with remainder.