Seasoned Ceviche

by Jane Adams

I always liked Ceviche. In my twenties, when my main Summer-time priority was spending ample time laying out at the Lakes until my evening restaurant shift, we would chop up avacado, cilantro, onions, peppers, fish, and drown the mixture with lime juice, to be placed on ice in a large cooler. We’d break it out in the heat of the afternoon sun, scooping it up with tortilla chips and washing it down with lemonade or beer.

Light and acidic, the flavors complimented the sultry weather. The dish was actually invented in a similar climate, and although its origin is disputed, different versions were historically traced to Spain, South America, and Polynesia.

Having made Ceviche many times, I considered myself an expert on the topic. But in truth, I never knew there were so many different types of Ceviche until a recent Friday night visit to El Sol Mexican Restaurant in downtown Harrisburg. I was on my way to a concert at the Whitaker Center and wanted a quick and light bite to eat, and El Sol filled the bill perfectly.   

After ordering a Top Shelf Margarita, which was served in an attractive thick blue tinted glass, my attention shifted to the appetizer selection. El Sol offers three types of Ceviche, as well as a Ceviche Trio plate which combines all three.
“Baja” Ceviche is made with bay scallops cured in lime juice, red pepper, onion, chiles and cilantro.

The “Acapulco” version is made with cured shrimp, cucumber, celery, red onions and avocado. 
And the “Chapala” Ceviche has tilapia cured in lime juice, onions, tomatoes, cilantro, cucumbers, and avacado.

If you are extremely observant, you may notice the word “cured” in each description, instead of “cooked.”  Yes, it is true that Ceviche, a dish containing raw seafood, is typically not cooked with heat.

Instead, the Ceviche is marinated with a large amount of lemon and lime juice, and the citric acid causes the protein in the seafood to become denatured, or chemically “cooked” in the same way as more familiar cured and smoked items like Nova lox, bacon, or anchovies. Such processes can be traced back thousands of years since the dawn of antiquity, when food was scarce, and food preservation without refrigeration was important to survival. 
However, for the more cautious, there are also versions of Ceviche which can be made with fully cooked seafood.

I dug into my Ceviche trio at the bar at El Sol with a tortilla chip. I enjoyed the vibrant tingling heat of the Baja Ceviche and I liked the crunch of the cucumbers of the in the Chapla and Acapulco versions. I made a note to myself to make one of these new versions at home sometime soon. 

I wasn’t in my twenties, anymore, and the lazy summer afternoons of laying out for hours were long gone. But if middle age afforded me the occasional opportunity to enjoy a  top notch restaurant, find interesting new twists on an old favorite, and enjoy a night of live music, I had no complaints.

North American Cooked Ceviche

• 1 handful of cilantro, chopped, more or less to taste
• 4 limes, juiced
• 2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and finely diced
• 2 cloves garlic, pressed
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 salt and ground black pepper to taste
• 1 16oz package cooked medium shrimp
• 1 can or pouch of crab meat, or one package imitation crab meat, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 5 tomatoes, diced.
• 3 avocados, peeled and diced
• 1 cucumber, peeled and cut into bite sized pieces
• 1 red onion, diced.
  

Chop, mix, stir, serve.

Summer Ceviche

• 2 tilapia filets
• 1 pound peeled and deveined medium shrimp (30-40 per pound)
• one handful cilantro leaves, chopped
• 6 plum tomatoes, diced, or chopped tomatoes from the garden
• juice of 6 limes
• one large red onion, diced
• two avacados, diced.
• 2-4 small serrano or jalepeno peppers, seeded and minced (or whatever is available from the garden).
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• tsp garlic powder
• 1 Tbs olive oil
• 6 cloves garlic, pressed.
• Fresh basil chopped, if available.
  

1. Chop everything up, mix. 
2. Marinate for at least 3 hours or until fish and shrimp is “cooked”, or opaque. 
   
3. Scoop up with tortilla chips.