Some days I just don't want to cook. Oh, the horror! I said it. Turning on the oven and making the kitchen hotter is sometimes so much a deterrent to cook that I hurry to busy myself with some other task so I don't have to think about what to cook for dinner. Such was the case when I made this fresh Ahi Ceviche. I had just come back from the market with a small sweet local watermelon and the Ahi purchased from the random guy at the market. My oranges were ripening one at a time so I didn't have enough to make a serving of juice with, and I had a basket of my Meyer lemons begging to be used. This set the perfect stage for CEVICHE! I love ceviche and it was on my list of things I wanted to make once living in Hawaii. The answer to your question right now is YES! Yes I plan almost everything around food.
The recipe is simple and just about fool-proof. Ceviche uses the citric acid in fruits to "cook" raw fish. You can use any fish or even scallops or shrimp. I wouldn't recommend this for someone that isn't comfortable eating sushi or sashimi because the Ahi retains the "raw" texture. You can substitute the fresh oranges with purchased OJ but try to use as much fresh local produce as possible. You could use grapefruit, limes, tangerines; virtually any citrus fruit. The recipe below made for an excellent summer meal for 2.
3-4 ripe Meyer lemons
1-2 oranges
2 cups cubed watermelon- remove seeds if necessary
fresh chopped cilantro to taste
2 tbs minced sweet onion
1 finely chopped Hawaiian hot pepper
1 pound freshly caught Ahi
Small and Medium sized non-reactive dish (glass is best)
Slice lemons and oranges around the middle and juice; Discard the rind. You should have roughly 1 cup of citrus juice to work with. Finely chop one Hawaiian hot pepper and add to the juice. Reserve 1/4 cup of this juice and hot pepper mixture in a small non reactive dish and put in the refrigerator.
Mince onion and add to juice. Cut the Ahi into bite sized pieces and place in a Medium non reactive dish. Pour the hot pepper and juice mixture over the fish. The juice should cover the Ahi, you may have to juice one or two more citrus fruits to obtain this depending on your dish. Cover and place in refrigerator for no less than 1 hour and no more than 3 hours. The Ahi will become opaque from the acid.
Drain the fish mixture and transfer to a large bowl. Cube the watermelon, and add to the large bowl. Gently toss in the chopped cilantro and reserve juice. Serve immediately.
We liked the tenderness of the Ahi and the crunch of the watermelon. This would also make a great appetizer for a dinner party!
Forever Seeking Aloha,
Britt
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