Oh man, these were good. I made ceviche once in school with shrimp and wasn't very impressed. But, after eating at the Cactus in west seattle I was inspired to make good, fresh mexican food. So, I did a Bon Appetite search and caught this recipe and it looked pretty damn easy to make.
My pictures a a little grainy since my ISO was bumped way up on the chocolate tour but I think they look acceptable enough, no? We tried the ceviche on two different types of bread. One, a rice tortilla (pictured below) which I did not like. It was stiff and did not have any flavor. The other was a delightfully small Mediterranean flat bread. A little thicker than a tortilla, very soft and pliable.
Case commented that the fish didn't even taste like fish. And it didn't...not in the fishy flavor. I loved it. It was a delicate citrus-y flavor. Really nice texture, too. It complimented the sweetness of the tomatoes, the kick of the jalepeno, and the charred shallot and corn.
The charred shallot and corn were not a part of the initial recipe but I highly recommend it. I actually set off the fire alarm in my apartment heating up the oil and than sitting outside on the balcony...and subsequently forgetting about it. Ooops, I've never seen my apartment so smoky. Regardless.
Corn on the cob is a revelation for me. Since I got my braces I can't eat it, but I have learned that you can cut the kernels off the cob which for some reason or another I thought was difficult to do. This could not be further from the truth. If you chop up some shallot and cut the corn off the cob, you put it in a heated pan with oil (I've been using garlic avocado oil lately, yum!) than cook it on high heat so the pan develops that nice brown crust on the bottom. Than I lowered the heat and added a little water to scrap up the awesomeness. And this flavor will tie everything together.
Mahi Mahi Ceviche with Heirloom Tomato Pico de Gallo
Adapted from Bon Appetite
1 lb. Mahi Mahi Tuna - very fresh, cut up in 1/2 inch cubes
2 T lemon juice
3 T lime juice
1 heaping teaspoon sugar
1 1/2 c. diced heirloom tomatoes
3/4 c. chopped/minced sweet onion
1 jalepeno, seeed, diced
cilantro, chopped
olive oil
romaine lettuce, sliced thinly
1 corn on the cob
1 shallot, chopped/minced
Combine first four ingredients along with freshly ground pepper and sea salt. Let marinate in fridge 4-6 hours. Be sure not to leave in the fridge for longer than 6 hours or the fish will get tough.
While the fish is in the fridge prepare the pico de gallo - combine the next five ingredients along with sea salt. While those are marinating cook/char the shallot and corn as described above. Since the meal is cold - don't worry about keeping it warm. The fish will be done when it is white and no longer has a raw appearance. Once it is done, remove the marinade and add the pico de gallo to the fish. Serve on tortillas or flat bread.
Also, I had left over cilantro that I decided to mix with mayo and slather on the bottom of my flat bread. Oh yes, I like.
