Arctic Char Aguachile With Habanero, Jicama, and Lime Recipe

Daniel Gritzer
Arctic Char Aguachile With Habanero, Jicama, and Lime Recipe
*
  • Yield:Serves 4 to 6 as a snack or appetizer
  • Active time:20 minutes
  • Total time:20 minutes plus 1 to 2 hours salting time
This recipe appears in:
How to Make Aguachile: The Chili-Spiked Mexican Ceviche

Aguachile is a chili-spiked style of Mexican ceviche. [Photographs: Vicky Wasik]

If you love ceviche, then Mexico's aguachile is for you. Traditionally made with raw shrimp, lime juice, chilies, cucumber, and onion, it's served immediately while still totally raw, unlike most other ceviche recipes. In this variation, fresh arctic char is tossed with lime juice, super-hot habanero chilies, jicama, coriander seed, and red onion, then served with tostadas and avocado (and if you like, beer or tequila).

Note: If you can't find sashimi-grade arctic char, other sashimi-grade fish such as salmon or scallops will work instead. Habanero peppers are extremely spicy: be careful handling them (don't touch your face), and if possible wear latex gloves.

Ingredients

  • 3/4 pound sashimi-grade arctic char fillet, skinned and trimmed of any dark flesh (see note above)
  • Sea or kosher salt
  • 1/2 stemmed and seeded habanero pepper, roughly chopped (see note above)
  • 3 tablespoons water
  • 5 tablespoons fresh juice from 5 limes
  • 1/4 cup packed mint leaves (from about 5 large sprigs), roughly chopped
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/4 cup peeled and diced jicama
  • 1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
  • 2 tablespoons whole coriander seed
  • Tostadas and fresh avocado, for serving

Directions

  1. 1.

    Split fillet lengthwise along natural division, trimming away center line with any sinew or bones. Then slice the fillet halves crosswise into thin strips. Arrange sliced fish on a large plate and sprinkle all over with salt. Cover with plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 2 hours.

  2. 2.

    Meanwhile, blend habanero with water in a blender or with an immersion blender until thoroughly blended. Add lime juice and mint and blend until pureed. Season with salt and pepper.

  3. 3.

    In a mixing bowl, toss arctic char with habanero-lime marinade, jicama, onion, and coriander seed. Season once more with salt and pepper and serve right away with tostadas and avocado.

Mexican Food

(and Tex-Mex favorites)
Daniel Gritzer
Culinary Director

Daniel cooked for years in some of New York's top American, Italian and French restaurants - starting at the age of 13, when he began staging at the legendary restaurant Chanterelle. He spent nearly a year working on organic farms in Europe, where he harvested almonds and Padron peppers in Spain, shepherded a flock of more than 200 sheep in Italy, and made charcuterie in France. When not working on, thinking about, cooking and eating food, he blows off steam (and calories) as an instructor of capoeira, the Afro-Brazilian martial art.

Filed Under
No comments, be the first!