Halibut Ceviche

Ceviche two week's in a row? Yeah, we kind of like ceviche... what can we say?

 

For our Ceviche Party last weekend we made three different versions of ceviche, although all three were pretty amazing the halibut version seemed to be the most liked by our 17 guests.

So when T's sister invited us down for a Cinco de Mayo gathering and she requested that we bring the halibut ceviche we were pretty happy to oblige.

We do love good ceviche. During our first trip to Cabo we participated in a ceviche making class put on by the resort and walked away life long ceviche lovers.

Since then we have both made and tasted many varieties of ceviche.

For this version we went with Rick Bayless Frontera Grill's Classic Ceviche recipe...we know we are nothing but boring predictable. But what can we say we love his flavors and ideas so why wouldn't we follow his ideas like cult followers?

When we make ceviche for a large group we do go with Costco's halibut...it's as fresh at a reasonable price as we can find.

G started by dicing the halibut and then marinating it in the lime juice.

In Mexico ceviche is typically served with saltine crackers. We found the brand we often eat in Mexico, Saladitas. But as always nothing tastes quite as good as it does in Mexico.
We enjoy eating ceviche with either good tortilla chips or fried plantains.

Ceviche is great. It's light light, healthy & refreshing all in one dish.

Perfect for warm weather.

But what do you do with left over ceviche?

We decided a ceviche omelet was worth a try and indeed it was the perfect idea to use some extra ceviche.

Recipe: From Rick Bayless (linked)

 

Frontera Grill's Now-Classic Ceviche

Ceviche Fronterizo

• 1 pound “sashimi-quality” skinless meaty ocean fish fillet (halibut, snapper and bass are great choices), cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• About 1 1/2 cups fresh lime juice
• 1 small white onion, chopped into 1/4-inch pieces
• Hot green chiles to taste (roughly 2 or 3 serranos or 1 large jalapeno), stemmed and roughly chopped
• 1/4 cup pitted green olives, preferably manzanillos
• 1 large (about 10-ounce) ripe round tomato, cored, seeded (if you wish) and cut into 1/4-inch pieces
• OR 1/4 cup (lightly packed, about 1 ounce) soft sundried tomatoes, chopped into 1/8-inch pieces
• 1/4 small jícama, 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 tablespoons olive oil, preferably extra-virgin
• Salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• About 16 ounces of sturdy tortilla chips or 3- to 4-inch tostadas (preferably chips or tostadas from a local tortillería), for serving

Directions

1. “Cook” the fish in the lime juice. In a large non-reactive bowl (stainless steel or glass are best), combine the fish, lime juice and onion. The fish cubes should float freely in the juice; if they don’t, add a little more juice. Cover and refrigerate until the fish is as “done” as you like: 30 minutes to an hour for medium-rare, 3 to 4 hours for “cooked” all the way through. If you’re planning to serve your ceviche on chips or tostadas, tip off all the lime juice; to serve in dishes or glasses, tip off about half the juice. (Sad to say that the juice is fishy tasting at this point and can’t easily be used for another preparation or another round of ceviche. In Peru, however, they season it, pour it into shot glasses and serve it as sangre de tigre—tiger’s blood.)
2. Flavor the ceviche. In a mini food processor, process the green chile and olives until finely chopped (or finely chopped by hand). Add to the fish along with the tomato, optional jícama, cilantro and olive oil. Stir well, then season with salt (usually about a scant teaspoon) and sugar. Refrigerate until ready to serve—preferably no longer than an hour or two. Serve the “dry” version with the chips or tostadas for your guests to use a little edible plates; serve the “wet” version in small dishes or glasses.