Saturday, November 3, 2012

Ceviche!

 
Ceviche (Left), served with Gallo Pinto and Ensalata Mixto 

Hola from Costa Rica! Its a drizzley evening here in the jungle, and a good time to recap ceviche while it is fresh in my mind.

Ceviche is a seafood dish found all over Latin America with countless variations. Peruvians add corn, sometimes its super spicy, other times rather plain. I have had ceviche with everything from scallops to octopus to snapper to shrimp, etc. and all sorts of combinations of seafood. What makes ceviche unique is that the fish is "cooked" using acid, rather than heat like in traditional cooking. Basically, the raw seafood marinates for 4 or so hours in lemon, lime or lemon juice and salt, mixed with some onions and other vegetables.  If you like sushi, you'll love ceviche. Not only is it deliciously tart, spicy & flavorful, this is loaded with nutrients, omgega-3, protein, and plenty of minerals and vitamins from the raw veggies.

Today, on a bike trip to the farm market here in Puerto Viejo, we picked out some fantastic locally caught marlin. Cant beat fish from the ocean across the road! Marlin is a firm, fatty fish which in my opinion, makes a great choice for sashimi or ceviche.  Then we stopped to buy some fruit from a man selling on the side of the road.  We got pina (pineapple), pipas (coconuts) and cacao (chocolate in it's raw fruit form).  Limons, found in Central America, have green rind and look like an ugly lime. The inside is a surprisingly bright orange. They are delicious, tasting like a combination of lemon, lime and orange. So lovely!  
So with the inspiration of fresh and local in my mind...ceviche! Thankfully I have my super sharp knives packed in the International Mobile Kitchen. ;)

Angela's Marlin Ceviche
Dinner portion for 2, appetizer for 4

3/4 to 1 lb Marlin (or your choice of fresh seafood)
2 limons (or 1 lime & 1 lemon), juiced
4 T finely diced red onion
1/2 c diced tomatoes
3 T fresh chopped cilantro
1/4 c diced red bell pepper
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 scotch or habanero pepper, minced
1/2 ripe avocado, diced

Cut seafood into bite sized chunks. Juice the citrus and pour over fish. Add salt, habenero. I add a small drizzle of olive oil too. Stir and cover. Refrigerate, stirring every hour. After 2 hours, add tomato, red pepper and onion. Cover and give it another 2-3 hours, stirring hourly.

When ready to serve, gently mix in the diced avocado and cilantro. Taste and add more salt if you like. Serve cold on a bed of lettuce. Bonus points for serving in a martini glass; very fancy and pretty! That's it...enjoy. warning, this is highly addictive. :)

Pura Vida!

Food Renegade!

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