Ceviche
I'm in Miami for a short spell, so I've been looking forward to lots of good food. The thing is, I'm running around with my teenage daughter, who gets hungry abruptly and strongly (so do I, actually, but this time it was her). We almost stopped at Jimmy John's to eat when I decide to circle the strip mall to see what else there was. What do I see but a place called Dr. Limon Ceviche Bar. It's a Miami miracle for this Michigan woman.
The doctor's Psiquiatra, a three layers ceviche.
Ceviche has been one of my favorite dishes since the first time I had it, probably in Peru a decade ago. Lime is my favorite flavor, and I don't like cooked fish, so with ceviche I get to do what I want to and what I should. It's also a great summer dish, as no heat is required: the acid in the limes will break down the proteins in the fish, effectively "cooking" it.
That brings up the question, how long should I keep the fish in the lime juice to make sure it's cooked? The official recommendation is between 10 and 30 minutes, however, one time my in-laws made ceviche at the beach and we ate it right away.
Ceviche purists will tell you, you should buy the fish fresh from the market, remove the veins, etc etc. This is the five ingredient-style version, made from frozen tilapia of the kind you buy at Walmart. Just remember to leave it in the fridge overnight to let it thaw.
Ingredients
2 cups of tilapia cut in 1/2 inch cubes. Other firm, white, large-ish fish will work too, such as bass, grouper, or sole.
1 small red onion, cut in small cubes
1 small bunch of cilantro, chopped.
1/2 cup of your favorite pepper, cut in small pieces (optional)
The juice of 2-3 limes
Salt and pepper
Preparation
Place the fish in a bowl, add salt and pepper. Add the onion, peppers and cilantro and mix together. Pour the lime juice in the bowl and mix everything well, to make sure the lime juice will penetrate every piece of fish. Leave in the refrigerator between 10 and 30 minutes. Serve cold with your choice of: crackers, rice, corn, tortilla chips or popcorn.
What to try next
Take a page from Dr. Limon's playbook and blend your peppers, cilantro and lime juice together. That way, you can taste-test before adding the fish. Add other seafood, like shrimp, calamari and octopus.