Easy Ceviche

Ceviche is a great paleo meal. That’s why I now have 3 versions of it on my blog. (see here and here) Yesterday, my man took me out for a little birthday dinner and we had some ceviche at a Spanish tapas restaurant in Pasadena. The ceviche was so good that I wanted it again. So I made it for dinner tonight!

If you check out my other ceviche posts you will see the explanation of what ceviche is and how it is traditionally “cooked” in a citrus. A process that does not actually cook but changes the molecular structure of the meat with a reaction between the acid of the citrus and the proteins in the fish.

This fish was bought on a sunday and labelled “previously frozen”(strike 1), at a local supermarket (strike 2), and was Cod (strike 3).

Strike 1: Fish on sunday is not very fresh, and this fish in particular was previously frozen which also tells you that it is, in fact, not fresh.

Strike 2: Nothing against local supermarkets, but when you start getting fish from actual fish markets and fisherman, the market seems like a suspect middleman. And when it comes to seafood… I want it as close to the water as possible (chronologically and locationally).

Strike 3: Cod tends to be a bottom dwelling fish, especially Rock Cod (as the name suggests). This means they are bottom feeders (translation: they eat ocean waste) and could be more likely to have “undesirable stuff” in the meat.

That being said, I poached the fish first in some boiling water and broke it up into pieces before marinating and chilling the final product. This is a good ceviche for people who are freaked out by raw fish or are opposed to “fishy” tastes. If you use a fresher and more noble fish then definitely try the traditional “cook by marinate” method. Just marinate for a few hours in your fridge and eat away!

Easy Ceviche

1 lb. cod, cut into 1 inch chunks
2 tomatoes, de-seeded and diced small
1/2 onion, quartered and diced small
1/4 c. cilantro, minced
1/2 jalapeño, de-seeded and minced
1/2 cucumber, de-seeded and diced small
1 clove garlic, minced
sea salt
cumin
red pepper flakes
avocado for garnish

1. Bring a small pot of water to boil.
2. Add cod and cook for 2-3 mins. Drain and set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, add remaining ingredients except for spices. (if you don’t want to mince it all, you could always pulse it in a food processor)
4. Break cod into flakes and small pieces and add to the bowl of “salsa stuff.
5. Add spices to taste.
6. Chill the ceviche for at least 2 hours. Serve with cucumber slices (paleo) or tortilla chips (non-paleo). Garnish with avocado.