Delightfully fresh seafood ceviche perfect dish for light summer supper

This week's cookbook selection is delightfully compact, easy to tuck into your bag (or even your pocket) to take to the cabinfor summer vacation.

Off the Hook: Essential West Coast Seafood Recipesis by food writer Aurelia Louvet and photographer/stylist DLAcken, who live and work on Salt Spring Island in British Columbia.

The book is small in sizebut loaded with inspiring recipes using seafood of the West Coast, one of the best sources of sustainable seafood in the world. From spot prawns to Dungeness crab to smoked salmon, the book offers simple techniques that will appeal to home cooks of any skill level.

Ceviche is perhaps as summery as it gets. Amix of finely diced seafood "cooked" by acidic lemon and lime juice, it puts the freshest fish, scallops and shrimp on a pedestal.

Served almost like salsa, with crisp tortilla chips for scooping, it's a dish made for sharing on the patio. It also doesn't require turning on the oven or putting a pot of water on to boil.

Use the freshest fish you can find and feel free to swap your favourites. Ask your fishmonger's advice, wherever you happen to be.

Prawn and scallop ceviche

If your fishmonger has access to unspoiled scallop shells, they make the most beautiful serving vessels for this elegant dish.

This recipe is an excerpt fromOff the Hook: Essential West Coast Seafood Recipes, by DLAcken and Aurelia Louvet, courtesy of TouchWood Editions.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb (450 g)spot prawns, de-headed, peeled, de-veined, tails removedand quartered.
• 1 lb (450 g)scallops, quartered.
• cupfreshly squeezed lemon juice.
• cupfreshly squeezed lime juice.
• cupfreshly squeezed orange juice.
• cupfinely chopped red onion.
• cup diced cucumber.
• 1 cup diced tomatoes.
• cup chopped cilantro.
• 1 tsp finely chopped fresh chili.
• tsp sea salt.
• tsp freshly cracked black pepper.

Preparation:

In a large glass bowl, combine the prawns, scallops, lemon juice, lime juice, orange juice, red onionand cucumber.

Cover and chill in the refrigerator for threehours or until the seafood turns opaque, indicating that it has cured.

Add the tomatoes, cilantro, chili, sea saltand black pepper to the prawn and scallop mixture.

Stir to combine.

Serves: Four people.

Listen to more of Julie Van Rosendaal's take on the seafood-focused cookbook:

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With files from the Calgary Eyeopener.