Ceviche

This August my husband and I celebrated our 10 year wedding anniversary. My parents gave us the best gift possible- they watched our children for an entire week and we went away on vacation just the two of for the first time in five years. It was heaven! We stayed in the Riviera Mayan in Mexico and it was beautiful! Here is the view from our balcony in a completely blatant attempt to make you jealous:

Despite a deep love for all things tacos, surprisingly I had never been to Mexico before. I was completely blown away by the food. I literally ate tacos and ceviche every day and would be quite content continuing that trend for the remainder of the summer (however short that may be).

While I cannot bring the sun and sand with me, ceviche can easily be made at home. Like sushi, the fish here is not cooked so it is important to find the freshest fish (or shrimp) possible. Mackerel is generally used in Mexico, but I chose cod, as it was the freshest fish I could find. Shrimp would also be a good choice. Make sure to use enough lime juice so that all of the fish is covered to ensure even “cooking”.

Looking for a great resort in Mexico? I cannot say enough good things about where we stayed, Unico Hotel Riviera Maya

Ceviche

Serves: 8

1 lb raw white fish (such as cod, halibut or mackerel) or shrimp, peeled, deveined and diced
1 cup lime juice (from about 6 limes)
1/2 red onion, diced
1 Persian cucumber (or 1/3 English cucumber), peeled and diced
2 avocados, diced
2 roma tomatoes, diced
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
2 jalepeno pepper, seeded and minced
1 Tbsp of olive oil
Salt to taste

Serve with: tortilla chips or tortillas and hot sauce

In a large bowl, combine the fish, lime juice, and onion and stir to combine. Make sure that the lime juice completely covers the fish to ensure that it “cooks” evenly. Let sit until the fish is opaque (no longer translucent), approximately 20 minutes.

Meanwhile chop the vegetables. Once the fish has “cooked”, add the vegetables, oil, and seasoning and stir to combine. Serve immediately with tortilla chips or fried tortillas (tostadas) and hot sauce.