Recipe – Snapper Ceviche

I am a fan of Mexican food and bottom fishing! Yes that is a very random statement! I am from South Texas and we are heavily influenced by Hispanic culture which includes celebrations, superstitions, and best of all food! I love Mexican style seafood! The best seafood I have ever had the pleasure of eating has been across the boarder on the Pacific side of Mexico. Just imagine sitting under a palapa, salty breeze blowing in your hair while you snack on some snapper shrimp ceviche! I am not in Mexico but I am lucky to live on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico, which has a wide variety of fish to seek when going on offshore adventures. Bottom fishing is fun technique used for species like snapper and grouper. You drift around bottom structure or can tie up an oil rig if its calm enough. You drop baits or lures to the bottom of the structure or as close as you can to the bottom. Then you wait for a nibble and a fight and then comes the ceviche!

–

The recipe is as follows:

–

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds of snapper finely chopped

• 1 cup lime juice (about 8 large limes)

• 1/2 cup seeded chopped tomato

• 1/2 cucumber, peeled, seeded and finely diced

• 1/2 cup finely chopped onion

• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

• 1/2 cup clam-tomato juice (recommended: Clamato), optional

• 1 tablespoon bottled hot sauce (recommended: Huichol), optional

• 1 Serrano chile, optional

• 1 can of Rotel, optional

• Tostadas or corn tortilla chips

• 1 avocado, halved, pitted, peeled, and thinly sliced

• 1 lime, cut into wedges

• Mayonnaise for spreading on tostadas, optional

–

Directions:

• Put the fish in a bowl and pour the lime juice over the fish and mix gently to combine. Then cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator until the fish is white throughout, about 15 to 20 minutes.

• Remove from the refrigerator and drain off the lime juice, gently squeezing the fish with your hands. Discard the lime juice. Add the tomato, cucumber, onion, and cilantro. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Add the clam-tomato juice and the hot sauce and chile, and drained can of rotel if using, these are optional ingredients to add spice.

• Spread the tostadas generously with mayonnaise and top with the ceviche. Arrange the avocado slices on top of the ceviche and serve immediately with the lime wedges alongside, or you can just eat with corn chips as a dip!