Cook the Book: Mock Ceviche
"There are a couple of reasons to cook 'ceviche'," Mark Bittman explains in How to Cook Everything. First, it makes the fish more tender. Second, and perhaps more important, it's a good form of reassurance to those who worry about eating raw fish. (The larger the party and the longer the dish has to sit out, the greater the worry.)
In typical Bittman style, this recipe for mock ceviche of shrimp, scallops, and squid contains one optional instruction and four optional ingredients. Whether or not you include them, the result is still vibrantly flavored and perfect for a party. If you're feeling fancy, portion individual servings into lettuce cups, martini glasses, or ceramic Asian spoons.
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Mock Ceviche
- makes 6 or more servings -
Adapted from How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman.
Ingredients
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 pound shrimp (any size)
1/2 pound sea scallops, tendons removed if you like
1/2 pound cleaned squid, cut into rings (tentacles left whole)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small chile, like Thai or jalapeno, seeded and minced, or to taste (or use hot red pepper flakes or cayenne)
1/2 cup diced red onion
1 small clove garlic, minced (optional)
1/4 cup diced red or yellow bell pepper (optional)
1/4 cup diced tomato (optional)
1/4 cup diced avocado (optional)
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves, roughly chopped
Procedure
1. Bring about 2 quarts of water to a boil and salt it. Add the shrimp, reduce the heat to medium, and cook for about 4 minutes, or until they are pink and firm. Remove with a slotted spoon and run under cold water to chill. Peel and set aside.
2. Cook the scallops and squid together in the same water until the scallops are firm and not quite cooked through and the squid is fairly tender, about 2 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon (reserve the cooking water) and run under cold water to chill, then combine with the shrimp.
3. Toss the seafood with the olive oil and, if you like, cover and refrigerate until ready to serve, for up to 24 hours. Toss with remaining ingredients except cilantro, then taste, and adjust seasoning. Stir in most of cilantro, garnish with remainder.
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12 Comments:
I love Mark Bittman, and I'm sure this is tasty, but this is ceviche for weiners. The best way to make ceviche is just to marinate the fresh, sliced seafood in salt and acid for a good five minutes. Top it with diced fruit and veggies, spices and herbs of your liking, with generous amounts of oil. Clean, rendered bacon fat would be an amazing accompaniment for shrimp or scallops for example...
simon at 2:11PM on 12/10/08
Weiners, maybe, but it sounds like it's partially a safety issue.
> First, it makes the fish more tender.
> Second, and perhaps more important, it's a good form of reassurance to those who worry about eating raw fish.
kathryn at 2:38PM on 12/10/08
This recipe is incomplete, I believe. No ingredient in the list, after the olive oil, is mentioned in the instructions and the reserved cooking water is never utilized. Are we to assume that all should simply be combined together?
PommeDG at 2:45PM on 12/10/08
PommeDG, thanks for pointing this out. It's been fixed.
Michele Humes at 2:56PM on 12/10/08
PommeDG, the cooking water is not mentioned again in the recipe. I would assume it is just Mark Bittman encouraging thrift? The cooking water would probably be quite nicely flavored and suitable for making a sauce.
Michele Humes at 2:59PM on 12/10/08
safety shmafety. The whole point of ceviche is that it cures the fish. Americans are such WEINERS!
simon at 3:16PM on 12/10/08
its just not right to cook it..a simple lime/lemon and a touch of salt marinade leaves it tender enough.just make sure to slice in smaller portions so it does actually tenderize.
dabiscuits at 3:40PM on 12/10/08
I wonder if it's the name that's causing all this dissent? Most people will happily eat an Italian seafood salad made with poached seafood, and don't seem to consider it an aberration.
Michele Humes at 3:46PM on 12/10/08
Raw ceviche is the best. The key is to consume it after a few hours of marinating, just after it turns opaque but before all the acids and salt suck too much moisture from the fish. Of course old ceviche is going to be tough and possibly make you sick- the solution is to make it fresh, not to cook it.
bialy at 3:50PM on 12/10/08
It's not just in the name- ceviche does not equal 'italian seafood salad'. Different continent, different ingredients, completely different taste. The acid denatures proteins in the fish, causing it to turn opaque; many would argue that this is a distinct method of "cooking".
bialy at 3:54PM on 12/10/08
Yup. The same way that whisking sugar into egg yolks cooks the yolks. Chemically.
simon at 4:25PM on 12/10/08
sausage in pasta
jlipof at 5:41PM on 12/10/08