Appetizers · By James
Ceviche — Shrimp/Scallop/Fish
One of our favorite appetizers when we were in Mexican resorts in the 1990s was ceviche (aguachile in particular), and eventually we got up the courage to try making it ourselves. There has been no turning back, and I've lost track of the number of friends and family over the years that we've shared this recipe with — everyone loves it! This recipe was richly informed by the input of a Peruvian woman I talked with in the Coop store in Medicine Hat when I was buying fish to make ceviche. Peru is considered the original home of ceviche (they have a national holiday to celebrate it), and she was proud of her recipe. She said the best whitefish in Canada for ceviche is tilapia — you can usually get the fillets fresh in Costco, but it's available frozen in most grocery stores. Having raw fish "cooked" in the acid of lime juice is not comfortable for everyone; probably one of the best ways to convince reluctant participants is to use shrimp for this, since as it "cooks" in the lime juice it turns pink and you can clearly see the process at work (the acid is denaturing the proteins, much like cooking does).
Ingredients
- 2+ cups white fish or tuna, cubed — 1.5–2 cm cubes (do while partially frozen, with sharpest knife, to get uniformly small cubes)
- Options: shrimp and/or scallops (cubed) are wonderful (these are both easily cooked by the lime juice, so only keep them in the lime juice for 25–30 minutes)
- 6+ large limes — juice to cover cubed fish
- 1 cup seeded finely diced tomato (cherry tomatoes are very good)
- ½ long English cucumber, seeded and finely diced
- 1 cup finely chopped red onion
- 1 orange or red bell pepper, finely diced
- ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
- 2 serrano chilies, medium size, diced (or use one big jalapeno for milder heat)
- Salt to taste (~¾ tsp)
- 4+ tbsp bottled hot sauce — Valentina is best
- Avocado paste for spreading on tostadas (forms a pasty, and tasty, base on the tostada so the ceviche will stick): make a paste of 3 avocados, cilantro, 4 cloves crushed garlic, juice of 1 lime, and 1 tsp salt
- Option: use a thin coat of mayonnaise as the base spread (can infuse the mayo with mashed avocado)
- Tostadas (deep-fried tortillas)
- Option: use Salmas oven-baked corn crackers or tostadas from Mexico (the best corn flavor, and healthy). We bring them from Mexico, but you can buy them online.
Method
- 1
Put the small cubes of fish (or shrimp/scallop) in a medium bowl. Squeeze lime juice over the fish and mix gently to combine. Push down the fish so it's submerged in the juice. Wait until the fish is translucent, about 45 minutes.
- 2
Drain off the lime juice, and discard (gently squeeze fish in hand to get excess lime juice out). Add cured fish to the tomato, cucumber, onion, cilantro, bell pepper, and diced chilies. Add the hot sauce, and salt. Taste to ensure enough salt.
- 3
Spread the tostadas with a coat of avocado paste and top with the ceviche. Serve immediately (because the tostadas will soften if left too long).
A note from James
Drink/wine pairing: a Sauvignon Blanc, or Corona cerveza with a twist of lime.
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