There are certain dishes that just radiate summer; ceviche is one of them. It’s fresh, clean, bright, sweet and sour. Served icy cold, it’s perfect on a blistering day when the thought of turning on the stove is, well, unthinkable! Some folks can be a tad squeamish about raw fish, but with ceviche, the fish is actually chemically cooked in the acidic citrus juice. Because of that, the recipe should be made no more than an hour or two before serving; otherwise, the proteins will just keep on “cooking” until tough. Lake perch works just as well as pickerel in this dish. Offer something crispy on the side, such as crackers, chips or deep-fried won ton wrappers.
Makes about 6 cups; serves 4 to 6
INGREDIENTS:
20 raw wild shrimp, peeled, deveined, sliced in half length ways
8 to 10 oz pickerel fillet, skin off, cut into 1-inch pieces (makes about 1 1/4 cups diced)
1 very small red onion, finely diced (about 1/2 cup)
1 under-ripe but not green mango, peeled, diced
1 firm avocado, peeled, diced
1 apple, skin on, cored and diced
2 tbsp finely chopped coriander or Thai basil, leaves and tender stems only
1 to 2 small hot red or green chili, seeded and very finely chopped
2 tbsp very finely chopped fresh ginger 1/2 cup lime or lemon juice
Salt
METHOD:
Before cutting, rinse shrimp and pickerel; pat dry with clean kitchen towel.
In non-reactive bowl (glass is best), toss together shrimp, pickerel, onion, mango, avocado, apple, coriander, chili, ginger and citrus juice until well blended; cover and set aside in fridge to chill and “cook,” about 30 minutes. Stir and return to fridge for 30 more minutes.
Taste for seasoning; add some salt if needed. When done, the fish will look opaque or milky. Serve immediately.
TIPS A nice way to serve ceviche family-style is in a bowl set into a larger bowl of ice. Coriander is a “love it or hate it” herb; use Thai basil if you fall into the hate it camp.
