Food for Thought with Suzanne Dunaway
Summer ceviche
I adore ceviche, made with fish, scallops or petoncle, especially when I need an appetizer or small palate pleaser for apéros. A food processor is handy for this, but you must watch carefully and pulse only a few times and not purée the fish! If this happens, you can use it for a fish soup or quenelles, but ideally a few pulses will get the fish chopped into nice manageable pieces for a ceviche.
Get your delicious fresh fish from one of the many amazing fish markets, including the brilliant Criéé Poissonerie in Port Vendres.
Ceviche can be used as a summer entrée or even main course with potato salad, a cold pasta salad or deviled eggs. Many possibilities.
I often serve this in a halved avocado after chopping up the avocado into little pieces to mix with the ceviche. It is good with crackers and a good white wine, a wonderfully non-fattening dish, full of protein and lovely in hot weather.
Recipe
Serves 4
Ingredients
- 2 very fresh boneless white fish filets (sea bass, cabillaud) or 8-10 scallops (frozen from Picard work well as they can be slightly unfrozen and sliced easily)
- Juice of 4 – 6 limes
- Pinch of ground up espelette
- 2 firm tomatoes, chopped
- 1 small sweet onion, chopped fine or grated, or 3 young green onions, minced
- 1 small bunch fresh cilantro, chopped fine
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
Method
The scallops, if you are using them, should not be put in the processor but sliced or chopped by hand.
In a mixing bowl, toss the scallops or fish with the lime juice and mix well. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or until you will be serving. Drain off any extra lime juice and use it in soups or salads. The fish should now be opaque and you can toss it with all the rest of the ingredients.
Add the espelette, tomatoes, onion, cilantro. Taste for salt and pepper and chill again. Just before serving, toss with the olive oil.
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