It's only the end of March but it feels a lot more like summer here in good ol' San Diego! Today is the perfect day to invite some friends over and enjoy the evening eating and drinking al fresco. I picked out a great ceviche recipe by
Rick Bayless and paired it with a Michelada. What's a Michelada? It's beer with a Mexican twist! Micheladas are made up of Mexican beer prepared with tomato juice, (I prefer Clamato), lime juice, assorted sauces and spices. It is served on ice, in a chilled, salt-rimmed glass.
Ingredients
1 lime
Tajin or coarse salt
2 dashes Worcestershire sauce
1 dash Tabasco sauce
1 dash soy sauce
1 pinch black pepper
2-3 dashes
Salsa Maggi
12 oz. beer, preferably a dark Mexican beer like Negra Modelo (Although I prefer it with a light beer, like Tecate, thanks to
Chef Andrew Spurgin's version of the Michelada)
1. Squeeze the juice from the lime and set aside. Salt the rim of a highball glass by rubbing it with the lime and dipping it in Tajin. You can use coarse salt if you don't have Tajin. Fill the glass with ice.
2. Add lime juice, Worcestershire, soy sauce, Tabasco, pepper and Salsa Maggi.
3. Pour in beer, stir and serve, adding more beer as you sip.
Find Tajin and Salsa Maggi at
Northgate Market's here in San Diego.
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
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.
Working Ahead: The fish can be marinated in lime and completely drained (even if you’re going to add back some of the juice) early in the day you’re going to serve; cover tightly and refrigerate. All the vegetables and the cilantro can be prepped, mixed, covered and refrigerated early in the day, too. Mix and season the ceviche within two hours of serving; keep it refrigerated until the last moment.
Let me know if you try these recipes. If you like seafood and beer, I am sure that you will not be disappointed.
Buen Provecho!
xo,
Elexia
