TWICE-FLAVORED SCALLOPS

Makes 4 servings

Anytime you can encourage people to play with their food, mix and match

things and eat with their fingers, I think you should. And there’s no way

around using your fingers with these tacos. The mix-and-matchers are:

tortillas (corn or flour); avocado mash, made with as much jalapeño as you’d

like; quick-cooked chile-dusted shrimp; shreds of crunchy lettuce; peachpineapple

salsa; and a light chipotle cream made with mayo and Greek

yogurt. You can even ditch the taco part and use all the ingredients to make

a colorful salad or lettuce wraps, in which case, reach for a soft lettuce.

a word on heating the tortillas

Heat tortillas directly over a gas flame or in a dry skillet to toast them before

serving. You can keep the tortillas warm, wrapped in foil, in a 250-degree-F

oven.

For the chipotle cream

¼ cup (60 ml) mayonnaise

¼ cup (60 ml) plain Greek yogurt

1 to 2 canned chipotles in adobo sauce, minced

Fine sea salt

Freshly squeezed lime juice

For the salsa

¼ pound (113 grams) ripe tomatoes (plum, round or grape)

¼ medium red onion, finely chopped or diced, rinsed and patted dry

¼ large red or yellow bell pepper, finely chopped or diced

1 to 2 peaches, peeled or not, pitted and finely chopped or diced

⅛ pineapple, cored and finely chopped or diced

1 wide strip jalapeño, or to taste, finely chopped

½ teaspoon fine sea salt

Freshly squeezed lime juice

Hot sauce

¼ cup (10 grams) finely chopped fresh cilantro

For the avocado mash

Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lime, or more juice if desired

Fine sea salt

2 wide strips jalapeño, or more to taste, finely chopped

2 ripe avocados

For the shrimp

1½ pounds (680 grams) medium or large shrimp, peeled, deveined and patted dry

1½ to 2 tablespoons olive oil

½ to ¾ teaspoon Old Bay seasoning or chile powder

Pinch of fine sea salt, or more to taste

Squirt of fresh lime juice

For serving

8 tortillas, toasted (see headnote), or lettuce leaves if you want to make wraps

Shredded romaine or iceberg lettuce (if making tacos)

Hot sauce

Sprigs fresh cilantro

WOR K I NG A H E A D

The cream, without the lime juice, holds up really well even if made about 2 days

ahead. Although you can make the salsa and avocado mash a few hours ahead, it’s

better to wait until shortly before you cook the shrimp.

TO M A K E T H E C R E A M : Whisk the mayonnaise, yogurt and chipotles together

in a bowl. Season with salt and add as much lime juice as you’d like. (You can

make this without the lime juice up to 2 days ahead and keep it covered in the

refrigerator; add the juice and whisk before serving.)

TO M A K E T H E S A L S A : Toss the tomatoes, onion, bell pepper, fruit and

jalapeño in a large bowl and stir gently. Squeeze in some lime juice and taste

for the juice as well as for salt and jalapeño, adding more if you’d like. Just

before you’re ready to serve, add hot sauce to taste and the cilantro. (You can

make this a couple of hours ahead and keep it in the refrigerator, but it’s better

made as close to serving time as possible, and best if you add the lime juice at

the last minute.)

TO M A K E T H E M A S H : Stir the lime zest, juice, some salt and jalapeño

together in a medium bowl. Halve the avocados, pit them, scoop out the

flesh and add it to the bowl, then mash it with a fork until chunky. Taste for

salt, juice and jalapeño. Press a piece of plastic wrap against the surface and

set aside at room temperature. (The mash can be refrigerated for up to 2

hours.)

TO M A K E T H E S H R I M P : Mix the shrimp and 1½ tablespoons of the oil with ½

teaspoon of the Old Bay or chile powder. Place a large skillet — nonstick is

great here — over medium-high heat and, when it’s hot, toss in the shrimp.

Cook, turning only once, until they are pink and cooked through; if needed,

add more oil to keep them from sticking. Depending on the size and how

cold the shrimp were when you started, count on anywhere from 3 to 6

minutes. Turn the shrimp out into a serving bowl, squeeze over a little lime

juice and season with more salt and/or Old Bay or chile powder, if you’d like.

TO A S S E M B L E : Lay out the cream, salsa, avocado, shrimp, tortillas, shredded

lettuce (or lettuce leaves for wraps), hot sauce and cilantro on the table and

encourage everyone to construct their own perfect taco.

Playing Around

When the season changes, you can replace the peaches with grapefruit

segments or use only pineapple. You can swap white fish for the shrimp; cook it

in a little oil in a skillet. You can forgo the avocado mash altogether or just toss

some avocado cubes over the shrimp or into the salsa.