Summer, Ceviche
I have ceviche fever. I was in Asheville recently (more on that later), where I had it twice. Uh, I know, in the mountains. I should have been noshing on wild game or trout. But it was delicious, and it reminded me of how ridiculously easy and appropriate ceviche is as we head into another hot Carolina summer.
Ceviche is basically fish that has been lightly “cooked” in acid - namely, lime or lemon juice - and then is served cold, usually with crunchy accompaniments such as tortilla chips or tostadas.
In Ensenada, a large city along Mexico’s Baja peninsula, you’ll find mobile ceviche stands and people snacking at them all over downtown, so I think of it as Mexican street food, but it’s certainly popular in Peru, Panama, Chile and other South American counties, in and outside of restaurants.
Maybe because it’s so simple…and so good. Here’s my recipe, based on one from Rick Bayless:
Take one cup freshly-squeezed lime juice, a handful of cilantro, one garlic clove, one scant teaspoon salt and one roughly-chopped jalapeno (use less if you’re shy of heat) and blend in food processor.
Cut any fish (tuna, catfish, halibut, snapper, mahi-mahi, mackerel, bass, squid are some that come to mind) into 1/2-inch cubes (you don’t have to be too fussy about this) and put in bowl. Add other fish if you wish, or even shellfish, such as bay scallops, and figure on about quarter of a pound per person total if you’re eating this for dinner, maybe half of that if it’s an appetizer or snack. The last time I made ceviche, I used tuna, bay scallops and calamari. I think it was a pound of fish, total, and we had way too much leftover, so I’ll buy less next time.
Ceviche won’t really hold much after a day, so you want things to be super fresh. You’re after clean, sharp, pristine flavors. If you can make this dish at the beach, I can’t think of a better location!
Pour lime mixture over the fish, and stir. Cover and put in fridge for about an hour, but not more than two hours.
Meanwhile, chop a selection of accompaniments. I like fresh tomatoes, avocado, yellow bell peppers, raw white onions (with a bit of the bite taken out by rinsing them in cold water when they’re chopped) and I like the cut fairly small on them. Some other ideas are roasted poblano peppers, red onions, a little salsa…
And my husband makes his delicious tortilla chips but cutting up some corn tortillas into triangles and frying them minutes before we eat. Saltine crackers are also traditional in Mexico.
Spoon some of the ceviche onto a plate, sprinkle with the garnishes, and dig in with the chips. If you want to stop the “cooking” process, drain the fish of the lime bath and serve later.
Eating ceviche on your front porch, barefoot, with some chilly rose or riesling (which can be smashing with ceviche, by the way)...that’s my idea of summer. And it’s cheap, too - you’ll need far less fish than you would if you were grilling it or cooking it another way, and best of all, you don’t even have to turn on your oven. All the cooking is in the fridge.
