Scallops With Red Aguachile and Pickled Onions

Pretend you’re on the coast—and not your house in the dead of winter—with this bright and spicy aguachile. This recipe for aguachile, which translates to “chile water,” gets its kick from fresh and dried chiles, lime juice, hot sauce, and a surprise secret ingredient: Worcestershire sauce. You’ll get a thin but powerful sauce that adds brightness and heat to raw scallops.
This recipe was adapted from ‘The Rise: Black Cooks and the Soul of American Food.’
Recipe information
Yield
8 appetizer servings
Ingredients
Pickled onions
Aguachile and assembly
Preparation
Pickled onions
Step 1
Combine onion, lime juice, and oregano in a small bowl and toss to combine, squeezing onion gently with your hands to soften. Cover and chill until ready to use.
Aguachile and assembly
Step 2
Toast chiles de árbol in a dry small skillet over medium heat, shaking pan often, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Transfer to a blender and let cool slightly.
Step 3
Add Fresno chiles, lime juice, Worcestershire sauce, and hot sauce to blender and purée until smooth; season aguachile with salt.
Step 4
Thinly slice scallops into thirds crosswise to make thin rounds. Divide among shallow bowls or arrange on a platter and season with salt. Spoon aguachile over and around scallops. Top with cucumber, pickled onions, and cilantro. Serve with crackers alongside.