Summer is fully upon us. Were it not for Canada and their damn forest fires, we’d be having some beautiful clear sunny days. Daylight is just waning from it’s peak length and July 4th is right around the corner. It’s hot, so cool off with some ceviche! I made these a couple weeks ago and they were absolutely phenomenal. The girls were curious about how the fish would be “cooked” if it wasn’t coming near any type of heat element. For those unaware, ceviche is basically a cure and the fish gets “cooked” from the acidic marinade. Being eagle-eyed young foodies, and recalling a recent episode of Top Chef, they also monitored my cleaning of the shrimp to ensure I got everything out! They loved watching me make the crispy tostada, too. They would puff up and I would cut them with kitchen shears with one hand, while sprinkling some adobo seasoning over the recently-fried tostada with the other hand. Pair those elements with my lime-adobo crema, and you are ready to kick off a summer party. They absolutely loved the final dish and had second helpings.
Ceviche Tostada
Ceviche
1 lb skinless snapper, ¼-inch dice
1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined, chopped into ½-inch pieces
1 cup of lime juice
2 serrano (or jalapeno) chilis, seeded and minced
1 tbsp Maldon or other flaky sea salt
Ripe small tomato, diced
½ red onion, minced
Fistful of fresh cilantro, minced
Chipotle Crema
1/2 cup Mexican Crema
1 chipotle in adobo, minced
1/2 tbsp adobo sauce from the can the chipotle came in
Juice from half of a lime (about 2 tsp)
Pinch of salt
Tostada
6” flour or corn tortillas
Oil for frying
Adobo seasoning
Other
Avocado, diced and seasoned with lime juice and salt
Lime wedges
Combine the prepared fish & shrimp in a glass bowl with the lime juice. Cover and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare the remaining ceviche ingredients, as well as combine all of the crema ingredients in a min prep and process until smooth (alternatively, whisk by hand). Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
After 20 minutes of marinating, drain half of the juices from the bowl. Then, add in the remaining ceviche ingredients. Mix well, cover and return to the refrigerator for another 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat about ½ inch depth of oil in a skillet for about 5 minutes over medium-high heat. Drop in a tortilla and fry for about 30 seconds on each side, adjusting the heat as necessary to maintain an oil temp of 350 degrees. They will puff-up, so have kitchen shears at-the-ready to snip little holes into the air bubbles.
After the tortillas are crisped, using tongs, transfer to a rack-lined baking sheet and sprinkle the top with adobo seasoning. Repeat with the remaining tortillas.
To serve, place a fried tortilla on a plate and top with some crema. Using a slotted spoon, add on some ceviche. Top with avocado and serve with a lime wedge.
______________________________ Copyright 2023, Brendan McCann, All Rights Reserved.
Comments