Recipe - appetizers brunch ceviche recipe shellfish

Classic Ceviche

Cooking Time: 45 minutes

Makes: 6 - 8 servings

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From Chef Rick Bayless, "I never tire of this ceviche: the lilt of fresh fresh fish infused with straight ahead flavors of Mexican street food (lime, chiles, onion, cilantro) and finished to a consistency that’s perfect for piling on tortilla chips or tostadas. That’s my favorite way to eat ceviche, the sweet, toasty corn flavor of the crisp fried corn tortilla being the perfect counterpoint to soft textured brilliance of good ceviche." We at Kai Gourmet couldn't agree more!

Ingredients

1 Pound ‘sashimi-quality’ skinless, meaty ocean fish fillet (halibut - New Window, snapper - New Window and seabass - New Window are great choices), cut into 1/2 inch cubes

About 1 1/2 Cups fresh lime juice (about 12 limes)

1 Small white onion, chopped into 1/4-inch pieces

Hot green chilis to taste (roughly 2 or 3 serranos or 1 large jalapeno), stemmed, seeded and roughly chopped

1/4 Cup green olives, preferably manzanillos

1 Large (avg 10-oz) ripe tomato, cored, seeded; cut into 1/4-inch pieces. Or use 20-22 cherry tomatoes (10-oz) cut in half. (Another option: 1/4 cup lightly packed, soft sundried tomatoes, chopped into 1/8-inch pieces).

1/4 Small jicama, peeled and chopped into 1/4-inch pieces (optional, but suggested if using sundried tomatoes)

1/4 Cup (loosely packed) chopped fresh cilantro (thick bottom stems cut off)

2 Tablespoon olive oil, preferably extra-virgin

Salt

1 Teaspoon sugar (or 1 tablespoon orange juice)

About 16 oz sturdy tortilla chips (preferably homemade)

Instructions

"Cook” the fish in the lime juice. In a large stainless steel or glass bowl, combine the fish, lime juice and onion. The fish should float freely in the juice; if not, add a little more. Cover and refrigerate until the fish is as ‘done’ as you like: an hour or so for medium-rare, 3 to 4 hours for ‘cooked’ all the way through. Tip off the lime juice – sad to say that it’s fishy tasting at this point and can’t be easily used for any other preparation.
Flavor the ceviche. In a mini food processor, process the green chile and olives until finely chopped. Add to the fish along with the tomato, cilantro and olive oil. Stir well, then season with salt (usually about a scant teaspoon) and sugar (or orange juice). Refrigerate until ready to serve – preferably no longer than an hour or two.
Working Ahead: The fish can be marinated in lime and when done ‘cooking’, then drain; cover tightly and refrigerate. All the vegetables and the cilantro can be prepped, mixed, covered and refrigerated early in the day, too. Mix and season the ceviche within two hours of serving; keep it refrigerated until the last moment.
Chef’s Note: If you have a lot of seeds in the tomatoes, we suggest you let the tomatoes drain in a colander for 20 minutes after they are cut up. It will limit the amount of liquid that collects as the ceviche sits.
Kai Gourmet / Peggye Notes: I typically do not use the jicama or sun-dried tomatoes as I love the flavors of the fresh ingredients. DO NOT disregard the olives. They absolutely make the dish even if you’re not a fan of olives! Ceviche stays good to snack on for at least 3-4 days! Of course, that’s because of the freshness of Kai Gourmet’s fish!