25-primal-blueprint-recipe... - Mark's Daily Apple

Halibut, Snapper and
Shrimp Ceviche
Summer might be just about over, but last night in my kitchen it certainly didn’t seem
like it. This had nothing to do with the weather, which was a bit cool, and everything to
do with the refreshing, lively flavors in a bowl of colorful ceviche.
There is no better way to highlight the flavor of seafood, and to remember the feeling
of summer, than with this chilled dish. To make ceviche, raw seafood is “cooked” in a
lemon-lime marinade and tossed with spicy jalapeno, cooling avocado and the flavorful
crunch of red pepper and red onion. Some versions add tomato or other vegetables and
some play around with citrus marinades made from grapefruit or oranges, but the result
is essentially the same: incredibly fresh seafood with a slightly tart and totally addictive
flavor.
The seafood in ceviche is “cooked” by the citric acid in lemon and lime juice, which firms
up protein just like heat from a grill or oven does. The texture of the fish is very similar
to fish that has been cooked and the flavor is more delicate and rarely fishy. The citric
acid doesn’t kill bacteria like cooking with heat does, but if you’re buying seafood from
a trusted purveyor with fresh fish, this isn’t a worry. However, if you can’t get past the
idea of uncooked fish, don’t write ceviche off completely – you can always boil all of
the seafood briefly so it’s pretty much cooked, then just marinate it in the citrus juice for
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