Ceviche

In the past few years middle age has kicked in and the metabolism has pretty much come to a halt.  I have been trying to find recipes that still have the great taste and offer something you truly want to eat.

While in Chicago a few weeks ago, I suggested making Ceviche for my mom.  She had never had it before and I really loved the recipe I found.  I adapted it from a recipe created by chef Rick Bayless for Food and Wine magazine.  She loved it!  Although Kevin doesn't like seafood, the recipe could certainly be adapted to substitute chicken.  Definitely a new staple in our home!

Ceviche

• 1 pound raw shrimp; peeled and deveined
• or 1 pound cooked boneless skinless chicken breast
• 1½ cups fresh squeezed lime juice
• 4 tablespoons fresh squeezed orange juice
• 1 sweet white onion; chopped in ½-inch pieces (make sure you use a sweet onion)
• 2 Roma tomatoes; medium sized cut into ½-inch pieces
• or 16-ounce red grape tomatoes
• 1 large Poblano pepper; stemmed, seeded, and finely chopped
• 1 bunch cilantro; leaves only and chopped
• 1/3 cup Manzanillo olives; chopped
• 2 ripe avocados; peeled, pitted, and diced
• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• Tostadas, tortilla chips, or you can serve on a bed of lettuce for a low-carb version

1. 1.  In a 1 1/2-quart glass or stainless steel bowl, combine the shrimp, lime juice and onion. Use enough juice to cover the fish and allow it to float freely; too little juice means unevenly "cooked" fish. Cover and refrigerate for about 4 hours, until a cube of fish no longer looks raw when broken open. Drain in a colander. Reserve liquid and onion for adding to remaining ingredients.  If you use chicken, simply add the chicken, lime juice, and onion to the remaining ingredients.  
2. 
   

3. Variation:  You can quickly grill the shrimp until opaque or chicken until cooked through on the grill.

4. 
   
5. 2.  In a large bowl, mix together the tomatoes, green chiles, cilantro, olives and optional olive oil. Stir in the shrimp or chicken and season with salt, usually about 1/2 teaspoon. Add the orange juice. Cover and refrigerate if not serving immediately. Just before serving, gently stir in the diced avocado.

Make ahead

Working ahead: The shrimp may be marinated a day in advance; after about 4 hours, when the shrimp is "cooked," drain it so that it won't become too tangy. For the freshest flavor, add the flavorings to the shrimp no more than a couple of hours before serving.

NOTES

There are many ways to serve ceviche. Here are some of our favorites: Place the ceviche in a large bowl and let people spoon it onto individual plates to eat with chips or saltines; spoon the ceviche into small bowls and serve tostadas, chips or saltines alongside; or pile the ceviche onto chips or tostadas and pass around for guests to consume on these edible little plates. Garnish the ceviche with cilantro leaves before serving.  You can also serve on a bed of chopped, green leaf lettuce.

SUGGESTED PAIRING

Chile tends to be known for inexpensive reds, but the real secret is the country's terrific Sauvignon Blancs. The cold winds off the Pacific give Sauvignon Blancs like this one a finely-tuned citrus zestiness, perfect for ceviche (something else they do extremely well in Chile).