Recipe of the Week

Mexican Ceviche

Ceviche, a staple of Latina American cuisine, is an appetizer consisting of raw fish marinated and "cooked" in citrus (generally lime) juice. Ceviche is believed to have originated in Peru with the Incan civilization. It subsequently spread to the surrounding countries in the region, each of which developed their own unique variation.

When I first tried ceviche I was curious about how the citrus juiced "cooked" the fish. Technically, "cooking" requires heat, so ceviche isn’t actually cooked; at the same time, it's not exactly raw. Both heat and citric acid are agents of a chemical process called denaturation. According to chow.com, as denaturation occurs "the heat or citric acid changes the proteins in the fish, unraveling the molecules and altering their chemical and physical properties." Therefore, as the fish used to make ceviche is marinated in the citrus juice, the denaturation process turns its flesh firm and opaque, giving it the appearance of being cooked.

An important thing to keep in mind is that "cooking" food in citric acid does not kill bacteria the way that heat does. So when you make ceviche for your family and friends, remember to always use fresh fish.

Ceviche is pretty much an amazing dish. It's a great appetizer, especially for the summer months when the weather starts to heat up because it is chilled. It has great flavors, is simple to make and is a guaranteed crowd pleaser. Furthermore, if you make a bowl of ceviche, your guests will be very impressed by your culinary skills, so be prepared to receive compliments (never a bad thing).
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Recipe Serves 6

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds of shrimp
• ½ pound of white fish – sea bass fillet for example (dice into ½ inch cube)
• 3 large limes
• 1 small lemon
• 1 medium diced fresh tomato
• ½ small white onion, finely chopped
• ½ small green sweet pepper, chopped in cubes
• ½ jalapeño pepper, chopped in cubes
• ½ bunch of fresh cilantro, chopped
  
• 1 teaspoon of olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• corn [tortilla] chips or tostadas
  
• avocado cut in slices (optional)

Directions:

In a large bowl, gently mix the shrimp and fish with the lime juice and lemon juice and put it in the fridge for 1 hour or until shrimp and fish are opaque (this step cooks the shrimp and fish).

In another bowl mix the tomato, onion, sweet pepper, jalapeño, cilantro, olive oil, salt and pepper.

Mix all ingredients; cover the bowl and chill ceviche in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Serve the ceviche on top of chips or tostadas - flat, toasted/fried Mexican tortillas.

Enjoy!

Recipe courtesy of cevicherecipe.org