Shellfish Watermelon Ceviche (Page 154)

RECIPE #1264

• Date: Saturday, April 9, 2011 -- 6pm
• Location: East Lansing, MI
• Kitchen: Our House
• Fellow Chef: Tom
• Dining Companions: Matty, Helen, Charles, Clara, Chris C., and Whitney
• Recipe Rating: B-
  

This was the last recipe I had left to make from the Salads section of The Book! We had this at a a dinner party when my special gentleman's friend Tom was staying with us, and in fact, Tom helped to prepare this dish (the best kind of houseguest -- one who helps in the kitchen!). I started by boiling a live lobster, then removing the meat and cutting it into pieces. I then cut some shrimp and scallops into pieces. I cooked the scallop pieces and then the shrimp pieces in simmering water. Tom combined chopped orange segments, fresh orange juice, fresh lime juice, diced watermelon, grated ginger, diced red onion, chopped jalapeno, and salt. We then added the seafood and some chopped mint and refrigerated it for an hour. This ceviche was OK. Given the title I was expecting a bit more watermelon, and I think the dish would have been better had there been more watermelon in it. The combination of flavors was pretty good though. Nobody had anything particularly negative to say about this dish, but nobody was very taken with it either. This recipe didn't make a very large quantity of ceviche, but at the end of the meal at least half of it was left. Compared to the other things we had to eat that night (e.g. hamburgers!) this just wasn't very compelling.

The recipe is here.

Only 29 recipes left to go!

This was the last recipe left in the Salads section of The Book! That means that it is time to revisit the section and pick my all-star team. In no particular order, my favorite five recipes from the section:

1. Fava Bean, Asparagus, and Arugula Salad with Shaved Pecorino -- This was a very fussy dish that was absolutely delicious. In the years when my special gentleman worked in Boston and I worked in Indiana I would live with him in Boston during the summer. I have lovely memories of those summers in Boston at his apartment. We would work during the day, run in the evening, and eat late dinners of delicious food from The Book. This was one of the dishes we ate during that time.
2. Frisee Salad with Lardons and Poached Eggs -- My special gentleman and I were both a little skeptical of this dish. I am not generally a fan of frisee and he doesn't like runny egg yolks. But somehow, with the addition of some bacon and a vinegary dressing, the combination was magical and we both loved it!
   
3. Sushi-Roll Rice Salad -- I made this dish last year in Berkeley as part of a birthday dinner for Chris. In retrospect, I have no idea why I didn't make it sooner. This dish is SO DELICIOUS. My special gentleman and I added this dish to our rotation, and this past semester we made this dish almost every week. It is simple, delicious, and easy to modify depending on the contents of one's refrigerator. Also, it is the kind of food that you feel good after eating. Yum!
   
4. Green Apple Salad with Grilled Beef -- My friend Alex and I made this dish not long after I started this crazy project. Alex had a roof deck attached to his apartment in Boston, and he had a grill on the deck! This was a rare thing in Boston, so whenever we cooked together at his place we would pick something grilled from The Book. This dish was refreshing, light, and delicious! In fact, I think I will make it again when I get back to the States after my travels. It is perfect summer food!
5. Taco Salad with Salsa Vinaigrette -- In retrospect I have no idea why I gave this recipe a B+. It deserves a better grade. I made this towards the beginning of the project, so perhaps I didn't have the perspective on grading that I do now. I think perhaps it got a lower grade because it wasn't particularly fancy, or impressive in appearance. But it was delicious, and of course that is what should count! Paul and I both enjoyed this dish and I have made it several times since we first made it back in 2006.
   

I am of glad to be making progress, but this is a section that I am sad to see go. I love salad of all sorts, and this section really was a joy to cook through. There were very few truly bad recipes (the Parsley, Fennel, and Celery Root Salad comes to mind, as does the Coleslaw with Hot Caraway Vinaigrette... weird coincidence that I made both of those terrible salads at Emilee and Brian's place. They sometimes complain that I save the worst recipes for them. Perhaps it is true!) Most of the recipes in this section were very tasty though.

This makes 13 sections completed and only 8 left to finish! Almost there!!