Seafood Sundaes made with Scallops, Shrimp and Crabmeat

You can have a lot of fun making these seafood sundaes; I like to combine large sea scallops, shrimp and lump crabmeat. The best thing is that the dish can be made ahead of time, and is a great starter for a breezy summer supper or special occasion. One word of caution: cook each type of seafood separately to ensure that each is cooked correctly without becoming rubbery.

Ingredients:

1 large lemon cut into ¼-inch slices, plus the juice of 2 more lemons
Pinch of salt, plus 1 teaspoon coarse sea salt
8 large sea scallops, cut in half widthwise
11/2 pounds large shrimp (24–28 count)
2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon celery salt
1/2 pound lump crabmeat
Coarse, colored salt, for garnish

Cocktail Sauce

2 tablespoons minced fennel leaves
1 large blood or navel orange, cut into 8 wedges
Cocktail Sauce
11/2 cups ketchup
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Sea salt
2 tablespoons minced shallots
1 teaspoon grated ginger

Directions:

1. Fill a medium saucepan with water; add the lemon slices and a pinch of salt; and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer, add the scallops and gently cook them for about 3 minutes, or just until they look opaque. Remove the
scallops with a slotted spoon to a platter, keeping them in a pile. Set aside.

2. Add the shrimp to the saucepan and cook them just until the shells turn pink; remove the shrimp with a slotted spoon. Cool, peel and devein the shrimp. Place them on the platter with the scallops, keeping them in a separate pile. 

3. Pour the olive oil into a 9-by-12-inch glass baking dish. Stir in the lemon juice, sea salt and celery salt. Mix well. In separate batches, add the scallops, shrimp and crabmeat to the olive-oil mixture; stir to combine each seafood well, remove each and keep them separated in the dish. Cover the dish with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least three hours or overnight.

4. When ready to serve, have eight martini glasses or small ice-cream sundae dishes ready. Wet the rims of each glass or dish, and dip the rims in the coarse, colored salt. Refrigerate the glasses or dishes until ready to fill.

5. To make the Cocktail Sauce, mix all the ingredients together. Refrigerate until ready to use.

6. When ready to serve, place about a teaspoon of Cocktail Sauce in the bottom of each dish. Divide the crabmeat between the dishes; add another teaspoon of Cocktail Sauce. Add three shrimp and two scallop rounds to each dish, and top with another teaspoon of Cocktail Sauce.

7. Divide and sprinkle the fennel leaves over the top of each glass or dish.

8. Use a small knife to make a small slit in each orange wedge and anchor it over the rim of each glass or dish. Refrigerate for several hours in advance, or serve immediately.