In our second recipe from TV chef Thomasina Miers this week, shellfish meets seafood in a refreshing starter

Scallop and prawn aguachile (Serves 6 as a starter or 2 for a main)

  • 200g scallops
  • 200g sustainably caught king prawns
  • Juice of 4 limes (about 200ml)
  • 1-2 green chillies, roughly chopped
  • 1tsp fish sauce
  • 1tsp flaky sea salt
  • 2½tbsp demerara sugar
  • 1 small cucumber or
  • ½ a large one
  • 2tbsp reposado tequila (or ordinary tequila)
  • 1 large banana shallot or 4 baby ones, finely sliced
  • About 12 cherry tomatoes, quartered
  • Handful of chervil, coriander or mint (or a combination of all 3)
  • 1 Hass avocado, diced

Prepare the scallops by slicing off the tough muscles that run along one side. Cut off the roe. Peel the prawns and use the tip of a sharp knife to remove the black vein that runs along the back. Rinse all the seafood and cut into 1cm dice.

Pour the lime juice into a blender, adding half the chilli, the fish sauce, salt, sugar and a 5cm chunk of the cucumber. Blitz the lot, pour in the tequila and taste for seasoning. Depending on the heat of your chilli, you might want to add the remaining half to the blender, or even add another one.

Transfer the marinade to a bowl. Add the shallot, cherry tomatoes and the seafood and mix together. Cut the rest of the cucumber in half lengthways, scoop out the seeds with a teaspoon and cut the flesh into slices about 5mm thick. Add to the bowl of marinade, then cover and put in the fridge for one to four hours.

When you are ready to eat, roughly chop the herbs and stir most of these into the Aguachile (the name for what you’ve made). Ladle modest servings into small bowls and top with the avocado, a scattering of the herbs and serve with nachos, tortilla chips or buttered bread.