Wintertime Ceviche with Scallops, Pomegranate and Kale.

Happy New Year!!  I figured I would  have fresh start to the new year with my healthy and fresh Winertime Ceviche.

So many look towards the new year as a fresh start with eating healthier, getting rid of the remaining cookies and sweets from the holidays and getting back into that workout routine. I am not a "resolution" type person but I do like to make goals for the year and participate in various fitness challenges to get the new year off to a good start. We eat healthy year round, but the cookies are consumed more frequently in December, because cookies are yummy. But it is time to rein in the cookie consumption and up the healthy food intake.

Ceviche has been one of my favorite dishes my entire life. Having grown up in Southern California the amount of fresh seafood available year round was amazing. I spent a lot of time in San Diego with friends, I even lived there for a while, and I would go out deep sea fishing with friends and we would always make ceviche with our own catch of the day. One of my favorite ceviche recipes is from my friend Cathy of Noble Pig. Her "Ceviche My Way" recipe is so perfect and I make it several times a year. Traditional ceviche uses just the citrus juice, most often just lime, to "cook" the seafood. Some recipes call for blanching  or cooking the seafood and shellfish slightly, which isn't traditional, but I think there is nothing wrong with that. Any way you make it, ceviche is yummy.

My local Whole Foods market is often a source of inspiration for me. I always pass by the seafood counter to see what prepared, ready to cook seafood they have as well as the meat counter and deli. I have recreated several of their dishes with my guess on ingredients and method and they have come out amazing so far. The Grilled Copper River Salmon with Blueberry Hatch Chili Sauce was so dang good and so was the Butternut Squash and Pomegranate Salad I made. I always look at the ceviche bar that is near the seafood counter to see what they have. When I saw what they had I was totally inspired to recreate a combo of their persimmon shrmp ceviche and their pomegrante orange ceviche. Both had kale in it and they looked great and I figured why not make a combo of the two. So I snapped pics of the ingredient lists on my trusty iphone and armed with the ingredients I headed to home to recreate it as best as I could.

Inspired by my favorite ceviche from Noble Pig I adapted a little of her preparation method with my past ceviche making experience and I made the best ceviche I have ever had. The added touches of the massaged kale ( I have always been meh about kale, until I discovered massaging it with lemon juice and I won't have it ant other way now) the persimmon and pomegranate make this typical summer dish into a nice wintertime twist on the dish. So with the cold and dreary weather out right now, this dish will transport you to a beach side cafe, if only for a few minutes.  I crave summer flavors year round so this is a great way to tide me over until it is shorts weather again.

Summer in a glass.

 

I often get asked where I find my dishes and props I use in my photos. Most items used in my photos are from Cost Plus World Market. So when I can I will link to those items on their site. Many are in store only. This post isn't sponsored by World Market. I am just adding this in because I love their products and love to share with you all!

Bamboo Flatware,    Stemless Martini Glasses, Buffet Napkins