Seafood Ceviche

CEVICHE

Steps:

• Rinse scallops and place in a medium sized bowl. Pour lime juice over the scallops. The scallops should be completely immersed in the lime juice. Chill the lime juice and scallops all day or overnight until scallops are opaque (you cannot see through them).
• Empty 1/2 of the lime juice from the bowl. Add tomatoes, green onions, celery, green bell pepper, parsley, black pepper, olive oil, and cilantro to the scallop mixture. Stir gently. Serve this dish in fancy glasses with a slice of lime hanging over the rim for effect.

PERUVIAN CEVICHE

Steps:

• Deseed and very finely chop the pepper, and trim and finely slice the spring onions, then add to a bowl.
• Slice the fish into 1cm cubes, add to the bowl, then cover and place in the fridge until needed.
• Squeeze the lemon juice into a jam jar, add 1 teaspoon of sea salt, then seseed, finely chop and add the chilli.
• Pop the lid on and place in the fridge to chill - this may seem like a lot of salt but most of it gets drained away. Pick the herbs and cress, and place in the fridge.
• You can assemble the ceviche just before your guests are ready to eat, but it's important that you don't leave the fish marinating for too long - you don't want the acids in the juices to cook the fish. Pour the lemon dressing over the fish mixture and immediately mix it up. Leave it to sit for about 2½ minutes while you lay out the plates.
• Throw most of the herb mixture into the bowl with the fish and very quickly toss it together - no more than 10 seconds.
• Divide the ceviche between 4 plates, gently spoon over a little of the dressing (discarding the rest) and sprinkle with the remaining herbs.
• Drizzle over a little oil from a height, sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper, and enjoy.

SEAFOOD CEVICHE

Steps:

• Toss the seafood with the fresh lime juice, cover and refrigerate for at least 5 hours or until the meat has lost its transparency and becomes opaque. Stir several times. Add the seasonings, tomato and olive oil, stir well and refrigerate for at least another hour. Remove from the refrigerator and allow enough time for the ceviche to become cool so that the olive oil is not coagulated. Traditional serving method is to toss the onion, avocado and cilantro with the ceviche and serve in a tall glass as a first course. Another presentation is to mound the ceviche on a bed of lettuce and sprinkle the avocado, onion and cilantro on top.

SHRIMP CEVICHE

Steps:

• Place the shrimp in a large mixing bowl. Add 1/2 cup lime juice and let stand for 15 minutes so the shrimp can "cook" in the lime juice (any less and it won't cook, any more and it toughens).
• Meanwhile, in a separate large mixing bowl, mix the remaining 1/2 cup lime juice, cucumbers, tomatoes, cilantro, red onions and serrano chile to incorporate evenly. Transfer the mixed vegetables into the shrimp bowl and mix well to incorporate. Season the ceviche with some salt. Serve with saltine crackers, bottled hot sauce and lime wedges if desired.

CEVICHE

Steps:

• In a large glass bowl, combine the fish, lime juice and onion. The juice should completely cover the fish; if not, add a little more. Cover with cling film and place in the fridge for 1 hr 30 mins.
• Remove the fish and onion from the lime juice (discard the juice) and place in a bowl. Add the olives, chilies, tomatoes, coriander and olive oil, stir gently, then season with a good pinch of salt and sugar. This can be made a couple of hours in advance and stored in the fridge. Serve with tortilla chips to scoop up the ceviche and enjoy with a glass of cold beer.