[postlink]http://www.5recipes.com/2012/08/how-to-make-ceviche.html[/postlink]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QaA0199I4Ts
[starttext]
Basic Ceviche
There's one of the stars, fresh limes. And the other main ingredient is some kind of seafood. I'm going to use scallops which work really great in this. The first you want to do is pull that "foot" off each scallop. This will also work with shrimp, bass, halibut, any firm fish.
Marinate the Ceviche Seafood
Then we're going to cut them in half, and each half into four pieces, so we're going to get about eight 1/2-inch pieces from each large scallop. It's important to get them all the same size, and the reason is so they marinate at the same rate.
We're going to add 1/2 cup chopped onions, and 1 1/2 cups of fresh limejuice. We're going to cover that with plastic and refrigerate for about 3 hours, or until the scallops are "cooked." Technically the scallops don't really cook, it's more like being pickled, but they will taste and feel like cooked seafood.
Mix in the Ceviche Ingredients
While they are marinating, you can prep the other ingredients. You'll see these in a few seconds. OK, so after three hours mine was ready to go. I could tell because you can see they turned white, and are kind of firm to the touch. That's what you are looking for.
So, once they are done, we're going to drain the marinade (don't rinse) and mix in the rest of the ingredients:
- 1 cup sliced cherry tomatoes
- 1 diced jalapeno
- 2 tbsp orange juice
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
So this is a very simple dressing. The sweetness of the orange balances the lime. What I really like about this technique is that the scallops are done first in the lime juice, drained, and then a fresh dressing is made. I think that makes a better final product.
Slice the Avocado
We're going to do an avocado, that's the last ingredient. Hold it in your hand and make slices down to the skin, turn and make more slices at an angle. If you smart, you'll use a towel under it to be safe. So, when you scoop it out it will all ready be in separate pieces.
Serve the Ceviche
Then we're going to serve this up. We're going to use a frozen martini glass for an elegant look. Some avocado in the bottom, spoon in our ceviche (a batch this size - 1 pound of seafood will make between 6-8 small portions). Top with avocado and a cilantro sprig.
And, that's it - ceviche. Really easy to make, great technique, give it a try - don't be scared! This is usually served with crackers or tortilla chips. It makes a great warm weather appetizer. It's really festive, and really fun. I hope you give it a try. Enjoy.
[endtext]