Baja Ceviche from ‘Tex-Mex From Scratch’

Photograph by Roland Persson

From Yahoo Food’s Cookbook of the Week: Tex-Mex From Scratch by Jonas Cramby

Baja Ceviche
Serves 6

There’s nothing that tastes like summer more than tortilla chips dipped in lime-marinated raw fish.

Classic Ceviche

1 pound firm white fish of sushi standard, e.g. halibut
1 ¼ cups freshly squeezed lime juice
1 white onion
2 fresh chiles, e.g. medium-hot chilis or jalapeños
½ cup green olives
1 large tomato
1 large bunch of fresh coriander (cilantro)
2 tbsp olive oil
Salt

Cut the fish into cubes and leave to ‘cook’ in the lime juice for 30–60 minutes in the fridge. If you’re on the cautious side, you can leave them for up to 3 hours, but then the fish will be cooked all the way through (that’s what lime does to it). Use a stainless steel bowl or a glass bowl. Drain off the lime, finely chop the vegetables and coriander, and add to the fish together with the olive oil and mix. Add salt to taste. Eat within 1 hour.

Green Cucumber Ceviche

1 lb firm white fish of sushi standard, e.g. halibut
1 batch green herby salsa (see below)
½ cup freshly squeezed lime juice

Cut the fish into dipping-friendly sized cubes and mix together with the salsa and the lime juice. Leave to marinate for at least 30 minutes, maximum 1 hour.

Green Herby Salsa
Serves 4

Beautifully green and fruity from the olive oil. Not a salsa for dipping but perfect for ceviche.

2 garlic cloves, skin left on
1–2 fresh green chilis, e.g. medium-hot chilis or jalapeño
2 tbsp olive oil
1 large bunch of fresh coriander (cilantro)
1 bunch of fresh parsley
1 cucumber
2 avocados
Salt

Toast the garlic and chilis in a dry frying pan. When they’ve turned a nice color, peel the garlic, deseed the chillies and mix together with the oil and the herbs in a blender. Peel and deseed the cucumber and chop into neat quarters. Do the same for the avocado. Season to taste.

Reprinted with permission from Tex-Mex From Scratch by Jonas Cramby (Sterling Epicure).

More seafood recipes:

Pan-Seared Scallops

Grilled Shrimp Salad 

Shrimp and Smoked Gouda Grits