Captain Mike’s Classic Ceviche Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 Large White Onion (or 2 med.) – chopped medium
- 1 Medium Bell Pepper – chopped medium
- 2 Stalks Celery (tender part) – chopped medium
- 1 Bunch Scallions (green onion) – chopped medium
- 1. 5 Lbs. Fish Fillets (not over 1/2″ thick, your favorite non-oily, firm fleshed and absolutely fresh or fresh-frozen)
- 4 Limes
- 2 Lemons
- 2 TBSP Captain Mike’s
- 2 TBSP Ground Cumin
- 4 tsp Cilantro
- 3 TBSP Pickapeppa Sauce (or any Jamaica style sauce)
- 4 TBSP Worcestershire Sauce
- 2 tsp Habanero Pepper Sauce
- 1 tsp Tabasco Style Pepper Sauce
- 8 oz Extra Virgin Olive Oil (good grade)
- 1 Lettuce
- 1 Ripe Avocado (optional)
- 2 Cups Seedless, Skinless, Diced Tomatoes (optional)
Captain’s Log
Also “Seviche” or “Cebiche”; is a very popular Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean, and Central American dish. Fresh seafood is primarily used and it is “cooked” by the juice of limes, taking an opaque appearance when done. Marinating time is 8-12 hours and it is good up to 48 hours; but Ceviche remaining that long in this galley is a rare event (besides, after that long, it becomes pickled).
Fish fillets should be no more than one half inch thick. Any non-oily firm fleshed fish will do, but most saltwater species work best. I.E. black drum, sheepshead, flounder, red drum, red snapper, pompano, and grouper. Some fish to avoid, for example are mackerel, bluefish (too oily), trout or weakfish (too soft). Soft fish are best fried, oily fish are best grilled or smoked. Scallops are also very good. Shrimp are super excellent, but because they are so dense, must be butterflied (peeled and split halfway through) and rinsed in cold water. Louisiana Gulf Shrimp are recommended and preferred, as imported pond raised shrimp are inferior in quality; taste and texture. In some places conch is used, even chicken. It is imperative that the seafood be absolutely fresh or fresh-frozen. Sometimes fresh-frozen is of better quality than so-called “fresh.” Remember, your “nose knows,” if it smells good, it is good.
Procedure
- Cut fish into bite size pieces, sprinkle liberally with Captain Mike’s Seasoning and set aside. (This amount of Captain Mike’s is not included in the ingredients).
- Squeeze limes and lemon to extract juice, remove pulp and seeds and mix thoroughly with the olive oil. Add enough oil to take the harsh “edge” off the lime juice; remember, the lime juice does the “cooking,” the lemon is for flavor, and the olive oil is for smoothness. Don’t alter these proportions.
- Combine all the ingredients, mix well. Stir in the seafood making sure that no pieces stick together. Refrigerate in a covered plastic or glass container (no metal or foil) for 8-12 hours.
Serve over crisp bed of lettuce, with avocado slices and tomato. Serves 4.
Leftover Ceviche also makes a delicious cold pasta salad.