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Ceviche - San Quintin Style



Ceviche originated in remote parts of coastal Mexico where seafood was plentiful but refrigeration rare. That is something many of us in Baja are familiar and the local fishermen (or probably their wives) discovered a recipe for this appetizer that is light, low in calories and has become popular all over California, the Baja peninsula and mainland Mexico because of its subtle but spicy taste. Everybody in San Quintin has their own recipe and this is the one that I enjoyed most (so far).

Serves approximately 6 to 8 people, depending on their appetites and takes only about 20 minutes to prepare after the fish has "cooked" (one to three hours). The colors here are also 100% red, white and green - great for Mexican holidays. This is one dish you can really get creative with!


Main Ingredients

2 pounds cubed white fish or bay scallops, raw
5 - 10 fresh diced chiles (serrano or jalapeño)
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 onion, diced
3 ripe tomatoes, diced
1 - 2 cloves garlic, minced garlic
1 avocado, diced
1 bunch cilantro, with stems removed and diced
1 tsp brown sugar
Salt and pepper to taste
2 cups limejuice
1/2 cup lemon juice
Tortilla chips, taco / tostada shells or even saltine crackers

In a large bowl combine fish with limejuice. Cover and refrigerate for one to three hours, stirring occasionally. Fish should become quite white and scallops will lose translucent appearance. (Once this happens, you will know that the lime and lemon juice has "cooked" them and they are quite okay to eat.) Toss gently but thoroughly, making sure all fish is coated with lemon-lime mixture.

Add all other ingredients, and gently toss. Serve in a bowl surrounded with chips, tortillas or saltine crackers. If time allows and you enjoy the modern convenience of a refrigerator, consider preparing a larger serving and store for a bit later in the day. It will take on an even zestier flavor once allowed to chill for an hour or two!

Goes great with a Cadillac Margarita!

obviously fresh scallops are the best, but they are not available at our local (northern) grocery store. Any idea how it would work with previously frozen scallops? We can get the fresh fish, just not the fresh scallops or shrimp, which I would also like to use.
Thanks-

I used this recipe with some frozen fish at my sister's place up north and it was quite good - nothing beats fresh fish but it won't disappoint you...