Fish (or scallop) ceviche

When it is too hot to cook serve up tangy ceviche.

My hunter/fisherman buddy, Ray Ryan, called the day before my birthday. Said he had just caught some largemouth bass on one of his fishing expeditions. Would I like some? I never say no to Ray.

Within minutes he’s at the door with a Ziplock baggie filled with four of the most pristine fillets I’ve ever seen or sniffed. What to do with them?

Sharon and Tony and Maggy and Andy were coming for dinner. With David and me, that made six. How to stretch those four fillets?

It was a hot and the fish could hardly be fresher. It didn’t take long for me to think ceviche.

And I knew I had the perfect formula.

Back in 1996 I had worked with Stephanie Lyness on scallop ceviche recipe for Cook’s Illustrated. Her formula – 1/2 cup orange juice and 1/2 cup lime and/or lemon juice – was spot on. Her recipe called for one pound of scallops, and I had exactly one pound of largemouth bass. Perfect.

I thin-sliced the fish fillets and added them to the cool pool of citrus. For texture, flavor, and color I added a mix of red, yellow, and green bell, along with jalapeno peppers, a little red onion, and some cilantro. And salt… lots of salt!

Thirty minutes later we were all sitting down to goblets of classy, sassy ceviche. Thanks you Ray, for your gift of fish. Along with Sharon’s Watermelon Gin Punch and Maggy’s Banoffee Pie, it made for one of the best birthday dinners I’ve had in a long time… maybe even ever.

Fish (or scallop) ceviche

Serves 6 as an appetizer

1/2 cup fresh-squeezed orange juice
1/4 cup each: fresh-squeezed lime and lemon juice
1 pound fish fillets or sea scallops, sliced thin
1/4 each: red, yellow, and green pepper, finely diced
1 small jalapeno, finely diced
2 tablespoons finely diced red onion
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
Salt and ground black pepper

Mix orange, lime and lemon juice and pour over fish or scallops in a glass bowl; Add peppers, jalapeno, onion, and cilantro; toss to coat. Season generously with salt and pepper; let stand until opaque, about 30 minutes. Taste, adjust seasonings, including additional salt, if necessary. Serve.

Related post: Fifteen-minute Iced Tea

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