Main Course – September

Labor-free Ceviche

By Chef Arturo Vargas

Ceviche is a popular seafood dish that can be traced back nearly 2,000 years! In the old days, ceviche was marinated for up to 3 hours to truly get it right.  But as you will see, my personal recipe is far less labor-intensive and is still packed with all the wonderful flavor you’ll love!

Eat well and enjoy!

Chef Arturo Vargas

INGREDIENTS

¼ teaspoon of salt

2 cups of water

½ cup of freshly squeezed orange juice

1 cup of freshly squeezed lime juice

1 cup of tomato juice

½ pound of fresh, whole shrimp (heads on)

½ pound of frozen tiger prawns

1 pound of frozen Peruvian scallops

1 pound of fresh tuna or mahi-mahi chopped into bite-sized pieces

5 cloves of garlic (minced)

5 dry pasilla peppers

3 medium-sized tomatoes (chopped)

½ of a large red onion (minced)

2 avocados (chopped)

2 cucumbers (chopped)

1 bunch of cilantro (coarsely chopped)

Mexican hot sauce (Buffalo brand)

Salt and pepper to taste

1 lime, cut into wedges for garnish

Tortilla chips or saltine crackers

PREPERATION

Place the tiger prawns, scallops and tuna in a large glass bowl and add the lime juice. Cover and let marinate for two hours. The lime juice will “cook” the raw seafood.

In a medium sized saucepan, place two cups of water, three cloves of chopped garlic and salt and bring to a boil. Add the fresh whole shrimp and cook for three minutes. Remove shrimp and discard or save for another use. Set aside the cooking broth

Remove the seeds and veins from the pasilla chiles. Place the chiles, the remaining two cloves of chopped garlic and the orange juice in a blender and purée. Add the reserved shrimp broth and tomato juice and blend briefly.

Add the shrimp broth/tomato juice mixture to the “cooked” seafood. Then add the chopped tomato, onion, avocado, cucumber, cilantro, salt and pepper, stirring to combine. Chill for at least three hours. Spoon ceviche into a Martini glass and garnish with lime wedges. Serve with tortilla chips or saltines.

Yield: Makes 8 to 10 servings.

Photo by Def

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