Ceviche???!
Answers: What exactly is ceviche? Any great (and relatively easy) recipes??
Ceviche is a hispanic version of Sushi, sort of. Ceviche can be made with any kind of white fish (talipia is what I use), scallops, shrimp, octopus, squid etc. In its classical version, ceviche is a very simple dish: fresh sliced fish (once again,white meat fish is better), freshly squeezed key lime juice, sliced onions, salt and chile (ají limo or rocoto). Mix together and chill for several hours allowing the citrus to cook the fish, so to speak. Serve chilled with tostadas and viola!
Here's a good recipe for Shrimp Ceviche:
3 lbs small raw shrimp, cleaned
4 large tomatoes, seeded and diced
6 limes, juiced
4 lemons, juiced
1 cup cilantro leaves, chopped
1 serrano chile, seeded and finely chopped
1/2 of a cucumber, peeled and diced
1 red onion, diced
salt and pepper to taste
3 tablespoons tomato sauce
PREPARATION:
Lay out shrimp in the bottom of glass baking dish. Pour lemon and lime juice over them and refrigerate for 3 hours. The juice will "cook" the shrimp. Toss with remaining ingredients and refrigerate for one more hour or longer.
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Technically the citric acid in the lime or lemon juice turns the fish or seafood a lighter color. This being said, all citrus will work. In addition to adding flavor, the citric acid causes the proteins in the seafood to become denatured, which pickles or "cooks" the fish without heat. The result tastes more like a cooked dish and less like raw fish preparations such as Japanese sashimi. Just make sure you let the fish or seafood marinate in the juice for at least 4 hours. However, if you use shrimp...only let it marinate for no longer that four hours. If you do it longer, the shrimp tends to get rubbery. As far as the grade of fish, make sure it is a good white fish like talipia, dorado, white sea bass, mahi mahi, shark or even marlin. You could probably use the sushi grade of white fish and I am sure it would be delicious.
Ceviche is seafood "cooked" in lime juice (the acid in the juice "cooks" the seafood), usually with some onion and jalepeno pepper. In some countries, they also serve it with boiled potato and corn on the cob. I don't have a recipe, but try a good website like foodtv.com.
BAJA CEVICHE CANAPES
2 lb. firm white fillets of fish
Lemon juice
1 lg. onion, minced
20 diced green olives
3 tomatoes, peeled, seeded and diced
1 c. tomato juice
1/2 c. water
1/2 c. catsup
1/2 c. olive oil
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. bottled hot sauce
1 tsp. garlic salt
Cut fillets into bite-size cubes. Marinate 8 hours in lemon juice. (The lemon juice "cooks" the fish.) Drain and rinse in cold water. Add remaining ingredients. Garnish with tomatoes. Serve with crackers.
I wouldn't call Ceviche sushi ... chuckle. It is closer to gazpacho with fish/ shellfish added.