It is odd that my family should crave a ceviche when this Winter has been bringing in such frigid temperatures.
But there you have it. We do and I mean all of us right down to my 7 year old.
It makes a lovely light lunch and it is nice to find ways to turn it into a full meal. This, done by baking corn tortillas to a crisp in the oven for a few minutes which make the perfect ‘boats’ for these delightful morsels of fresh fish.
Speaking of fresh, don’t for one minutes think that ceviche is raw fish. Just because heat isn’t being added to food does not mean it is not being cooked. After all, cooking is a process (in meats and fish) of denurating the proteins so they unfold and then coagulate to form new structures at the molecular.
Based, on the principle of diffusion, one way to achieve this is heat but the other way to achieve is citrus – by this is changing the PH balance of the food in which the marinated. And after all, lime juice and orange juice is nothing but citric acid which performs the same role as heat and does in fact end up ‘cooking’ the fish using a chemical process instead of heat.
So, there truly is no reason for even the raw fish nay sayers to turn their back on this lovely. I am using all the standard ingredients except substituting some of the lime juice with orange juice and adding just a hint of ground chipotle peppers. For those wanting it spicier feel free to add just a little seeded, chopped up fresh jalapeno for that extra pop.
Buy the best quality fish you can possibly buy, sushi grade please and in 30 minutes you’ll have a lovely light lunch that also makes a stunning presentation.
Gather the ingredients,
1/2 lb sushi grade firm boneless white fish (haddock or cod), 3 limes, 3 juicing oranges, 1 tsp ground Chipotle pepper, 1 tsp salt, 1 small red onion, 1 small ripe plum tomato, fresh 1/2 cup cilantro leaves packed, 6 corn tortillas & vegetable oil
Also required is a muffin pan, a large mixing bowl of non-reactive material like glass or stainless steel & a very sharp knife (pull out that Wusthof if you've got one!)
Preheat the oven to 400 deg F
Fish: Place on a dish and freeze for 15 minutes. Use a timer to keep track of time.
Citrus:Squeeze the limes and juice the oranges. Pour all the juices together in 1 bowl.
Red onion: Peel, cut and discard skin and the ends. Finely chop and set aside in a large mixing bowl of glass or stainless steel.
Tomato: Halve. Using a spoon, cut away the seed and pulp core. Finely chop the tomato and set aside in the same bowl with the onions.
Cilantro:Wash, drain away excess water and finely chop.
Dice the fish: Once the fish is chilled, feel for bones with fingers and cut away and discard the bones. Dice the fish into 1/2" cubes and place in the same bowl with the above ingredients.
To the above bowl, add the citrus juices, salt and ground chipotle pepper. Stir with a spoon. Cover with plastic cling wrap and refrigerate the bowl for 30 minutes exactly! Use a timer to keep track of time.
Corn tortillas: 10 minutes into the marination, halve the corn tortillas and cut each half as shown in the picture.
Use the two pieces of each half for each muffin cup. Using a pastry brush liberally oil one piece of the tortilla and line the muffin cup so it is sticking up on both ends.
Use the 2nd piece of the same half and repeat and place the other half oiled side down over the tortilla piece in a perpendicular fashion. Press down gently so both tortilla pieces press together.
Repeat with all the corn tortillas until all 12 muffin cups are lined.
Bake in the pre-heated over for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
Once the fish has completed marinating, drain away all the excess juices in a sieve.
Carefully lift each boat and using a tablespoon measure, spoon some ceviche into each of the boats. Place in the serving platter. Once all the ceviche boats have been plated, serve immediately.
Recipe for
Ceviche with Chipotle Pepper in Corn Tortilla Boats
Preparation time – 10 minutes
Marinating time: 30 minutes
Shopping list
1/2 lb sushi grade firm boneless white fish (haddock or cod)
3 limes
2 juicing oranges
1 tsp ground Chipotle pepper
1 tsp salt
1 small red onion (to yield 1/3 cup finely chopped)
1 small ripe plum tomato (to yield 1/2 cup finely chopped)
fresh 1/2 cup cilantro leaves packed
6 corn tortillas
vegetable oil
Also ~
a 12 cup muffin pan
a large mixing bowl of non-reactive material like glass or stainless steel
a very sharp knife (pull out that Wusthof if you've got one!)
Method:
Preheat the oven to 400 deg F
Fish: Place on a dish and freeze for 15 minutes. Use a timer to keep track of time.
Citrus:Squeeze the limes and juice the oranges. Pour all the juices together in 1 bowl.
Red onion: Peel, cut and discard skin and the ends. Finely chop and set aside in a large mixing bowl of glass or stainless steel.
Tomato: Halve. Using a spoon, cut away the seed and pulp core. Finely chop the tomato and set aside in the same bowl with the onions.
Cilantro:Wash, drain away excess water and finely chop.
Dice the fish: Once the fish is chilled, feel for bones with fingers and cut away and discard the bones. Dice the fish into 1/2" cubes and place in the same bowl with the above ingredients.
To the above bowl, add the citrus juices, salt and ground chipotle pepper. Stir with a spoon. Cover with plastic cling wrap and refrigerate the bowl for 30 minutes exactly! Use a timer to keep track of time.
Corn tortillas: 10 minutes into the marination, halve the corn tortillas and cut each half as shown in the picture.
Use the two pieces of each half for each muffin cup. Using a pastry brush liberally oil one piece of the tortilla and line the muffin cup so it is sticking up on both ends.
Use the 2nd piece of the same half and repeat and place the other half oiled side down over the tortilla piece in a perpendicular fashion. Press down gently so both tortilla pieces press together.
Repeat with all the corn tortillas until all 12 muffin cups are lined.
Bake in the pre-heated over for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
Once the fish has completed marinating, drain away all the excess juices in a sieve.
Carefully lift each boat and using a tablespoon measure, spoon some ceviche into each of the boats. Place in the serving platter. Once all the ceviche boats have been plated, serve immediately.
Enjoy!
