Have you ever tried ceviche before? {Pronounced “seh-BEE-chay.”} Up until about a year ago, I hadn’t even heard of it. It sounded like another one of those fancy dishes that really intimated me and kept me wondering what was so special about it. On our one year anniversary, my husband and I dined at a great farm-to-table restaurant called Root Down. Their main special for the night was ceviche. Usually when we eat out at new restaurants we try to make sure we have things we’ve never tried before so…the ceviche was the first thing we ordered. In one word…it was…fantasticamazingincredible. Like no joke. I was shocked. I feel like right then and there, in the five minutes it took to devour it, if someone had asked me what one food I could eat every single day for the rest of my life, I would immediately say ceviche. It was that good.
So of course after finally trying and loving it, I found a simple recipe to start with and we decided to try to make it ourselves at home. The basic ingredient of ceviche is raw fish, cut into bite-size pieces and then marinated in the juice of an acidic fruit (usually lime), salt, and seasonings. The citric acid in the juice changes the texture of the fish, without changing its “raw” taste. The recipe I have posted here is extremely easy and uses my all time favorite, the mighty avocado. I sincerely urge you to try this incredible dish if you’ve never had it before, whether it be at a fancy restaurant or you make it at home in your own kitchen. I guarantee it will not disappoint.
Ceviche with Avocado, Tomato, and Cilantro
Yield 4 servings
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups fresh lime juice, about 10-12 limes
- 1/2 cup fresh orange juice, 2 oranges
- 1 1/4 pounds firm-fleshed cod, skin removed, flesh cut into 1/4 inch slices
- 1 large avocado, cut into small chunks
- 1/4 cup red onion, thinly sliced
- 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
- 1 small jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh cilantro leaves
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- coarse salt and ground pepper
- corn tortilla chips or corn taco shells
Instructions
- Pour the lime juice and orange juice into an 8-inch square glass baking dish.
- Arrange the cod in a single layer inside the dish, completely covering it with the juice.
- Cover the dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate it until the fish is opaque throughout, about 4 hours. Afterwards, drain the fish well and discard the marinade.
- In a large bowl, combine the avocado chunks, grape tomatoes, red onion slices, chopped jalapeno, cilantro leaves, olive oil, and salt and pepper.
- Divide the fish among four plates and serve it topped with the avocado salad.
- Serve the ceviche with the corn tortilla chips or corn taco shells
Notes
If you buy your fish with the skin on, here is a one minute video on how to remove it.