Well hello. I have no excuses. I’ve neglected the blog again. Life man. These kids. The book. The work. The travel. It is what it is. I think if you’re here you know that I just live life as it comes. I’m not very good at adhering to rules or schedules. I like to pretend I’m free. Any who, here’s a great recipe to get you in the kitchen. I mean I really should try and take advantage go the whole 5 de Mayo PR extravaganza but as I’ve mentioned before, I never really celebrated it while growing up in Tijuana. It was like a San Diego holiday that involved heavy drinking by people in flip flops in down town San Diego. Nothing wrong with margaritas and chips and salsa, just not something that my community participated much in. I’ve talked about this more than once and with what I think is good reason; so folks get a better understanding of who we are. It varies, of course. Plenty in the Mexican-American community now embrace Cinco but there’s a large number of people that still believe it’s Mexican Independence Day and an even larger number of people that wear sombreros and mustaches and do shots on this day and that sounds like total fun. Just want to make it clear that’s not how it goes down. In fact it doesn’t go down at all. Cinco de Mayo is mostly only celebrated in Puebla, where the Batalla de Puebla was fought and won. But enough about history and my personal issues with being culturally misrepresented so often sometimes I just wanna give up. The weather’s warming up! Ceviche baby!
This is a Ceviche Verde, which means it’s floating in a spicy, loose green salsa composed mainly of the lime juice needed to cure the halibut. Basically the lime juice alters the chemical makeup of the halibut in a process called denaturation. The fish, when marinated long enough, becomes firm and opaque. Careful though! Just like in a pan, you can “overcook” the fish. So this is one of those things that should be made right before serving and only with the freshest fish out there. Sushi-grade fish. I grew up just smearing mayo on a tostada, topping with ceviche then avocado and hot sauce and I truly think you need nothing more. Maybe a beer but I don’t drink so Agua de Jamaica. And, by all means, make it for your Cinco de Mayo gathering. Just promise me you’ll skip the shots. Enjoy familia! Remember, your feedback is my fuel so let me know what you want so see here!
Ceviche Verde
Serves 4-6
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds, skinless, boneless halibut, cut into ½ inch cubes
- ½ cup fresh lime juice
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 5 tomatillos, husked and rinsed
- 1 jalapeño, seeded
- 1 serrano, seeded
- ¼ cup cilantro
- Kosher salt, to taste
- Pepper, to taste
- 2 medium cucumbers, peeled, seeded, and finely chopped
- 2 avocados, cut into cubes
- ½ onion, finely chopped
- Kosher salt, to taste
- Pepper, to taste
- Cilantro leaves, for garnish
- Tostadas
Directions
In a large bowl place halibut cubes, lime juice and olive oil. Sprinkle with a teaspoon of salt. Mix until fish is evenly coated with lime juice. Cover and refrigerate for about 25 minutes.
In a blender combine tomatillos, jalapeño, serrano, and cilantro. Blend until ingredients are combined. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Add salsa verde to the bowl of fish and toss. Add cucumbers, avocado, and onion and combine. Season ceviche to taste with salt and pepper. Served with tostadas and enjoy.
