Three Citrus and Tequila Ceviche

[Mr Xtra Anejo]

Three Citrus and Tequila Ceviche
Aaron Parker
2007

Time to Prep: ½ hour
Time to pickle seafood: 6 hours to over night

Words on Ceviche:
I decided to write this recipe after a sip of Tequila and a short stroll on the town. One thing I enjoy about good ceviche is the variety of flavors. Fish, citrus, onions, peppers, herbs and Tequila all harmoniously work together to satisfy the pallet. I am a typical man and often believe that if a little is good then more must be better. So when I created this recipe I used not one or two types of citrus but three. Typically lemon and lime are two of the three, but not always. The third is always spontaneous. I have tried many combinations and loved them all. Three rather than just one citrus adds depth and complexity to an often simple dish. I feel the same about onions, more is better, at least more types. I think that a variety of onions in small quantities also help add depth and character to this dish. Last but not least I add tequila. This should be respectable tequila that you may serve with dinner later, or sip while making dinner. This adds a wonderful flavor to the ceviche that can come from nowhere else. If you take these suggestions and add them to just about any ceviche recipe you will have a tasty dish. To take the guess work out of it and aid those that had a little more than a sip of tequila while cooking I offer up the recipe below.

1 pound Tilapia
½ pound Shrimp
½ pound Scallops
4 large Lemons
4 Limes
10 Kumquats (seeded)
1 Sweet Onions
½ small Red Onions
3 Green Onions white part only (clean dirt from them)
1 Leek White only (clean dirt from them)
3-6 Garlic cloves to taste
2 Med Tomatoes (Firm Ripe)
1 Bunch Cilantro
1-2 Peppers Raw (Serrano, Jalapeño) to taste
1 Peppers Roasted (Pablano) to taste (Optional)
1 T Agave Sweetener (honey works as a substitute)
1 shot Tequila Blanco
Salt (To Taste)
Black Pepper (To taste)
Cinnamon (Small pinch)
Cumin (Small pinch)

This is a rough estimate of what I use in the Ceviche I serve. The combination and weight of each fish used is not as important as the quality of the fish, this should be the best seafood you can find. Chop the seafood in ½ inch pieces. I place a large zip lock bag (1 gallon) in a bowl and fill it up; this keeps the fridge smelling better. Place fish in the bag with 2 chopped cloves garlic, a pinch of pepper, ½ chopped Serrano chile and then squeeze enough citrus juice over the seafood to cover it, this should take about half of the lemons and limes. Leave this bag in a bowl, in case of leakage, place it in the fridge for 6 to 24 hours till the seafood is opaque and appears cooked. If you need to leave it in the fridge for a little longer before final prep, this is OK.

Prior to serving, chop all of the onions, pepper, tomatoes, garlic to taste, cilantro, kumquats and roasted chiles if used to about a ¼ to ½ inch pieces. The kumquat peels can be cut into smaller pieces for adding and rings for decoration on top. Drain the seafood in a sieve and place in a serving bowl large enough for all ingredients. Add the other items and squeeze a lemon and a lime over the whole mixture. Add tequila, salt, pepper, cumin, cinnamon and Agave sweetener. Mix, taste and add seasoning as needed. Flavors will evolve over the next 30 minutes. At this point the ceviche can be refrigerated for a later time or placed on the table for instant gratification. Garnish with fresh citrus slices and cilantro. This can be served with tostada type tortillas, wrapped with lettuce, placed in a bowl and simply eat it with a fork or scooped it up with sturdy chips.

Please feel free to improvise with the ingredients listed here and make it your own.
Have fun.

Enjoy
AP

[bn087]

Sounds delicious, but a pain in the ass also....

[tvJefe]

When are you having Jen and I over for dinner?