Ceviche.

One of my most favoritest people, Bradley Short, inspired me with his delectable blog post to be, well, not lazy and finally write this ceviche entry. On my way back from New Orleans I was seized with the desire to eat healthy, which is probably attributed to eating 1,500 calorie meals like these the entire time:

Bacon sundae with praline and smoked salt. Because you need to find out the true limits of human salt and fat consumption.

Sweet potato praline. I'm not really into confections, despite the last two photos, but I would gladly shave off the last year of my life to have an easy supply of these.

Couchon at Couchon Butcher.

A cross section: Perfectly crispy skin surrounding moist chunks of aggressively spiced tenderloin.

Oh god, and the pancetta mac and cheese from Couchon is easily the best thing I've eaten all year. Or decade.

See aforementioned comment concerning sodium.

Yeah, so I've been on a healthy kick lately to combat the decadence of Nola. Luckily I was making the 4.5h car ride with a gal from Guadalajara who knows a thing or everything about ceviche. I grew up stealing tortillas from her house. She told me exactly how she and her fam makes their weekly ceviche:


Richter's Ceviche
Serves 6 hungry people.

• 1 lbs tilapia or a mixture of tilapia, peeled shrimp, bay scallops, or any other mild white seafood. This is not the place for oily fishy fish, no matter how much you're jonesing for omega-3s
• 1 large avocado, diced
• 1/2 large red onion, diced
• 1 c cilantro, chopped
• 3 roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
• 1 serrano pepper, diced fine (I leave the seeds in, but you can take them out if you don't like spice)
• Tony Chachere's, to taste (I didn't know what this was, but I wasn't about to argue with a strong willed Mexican woman)
• 3/4 c jicama, small cubes
• 1 T olive oil
• 12 limes (or more, depending)
• S&P

The start.

1. Cut the fish/shrimp/scallops into 1/4" to 1/2" cubes and place in a non-reactive vessel. The size of your seafood will determine how long of a lime soak is required. I like mine a bit chunky so it took about 30m of soaking. To the limes!

Jumping the gun on the limes.

2. Juice enough limes to cover the seafood completely. This is the less enjoyable part, especially when your hands are constantly covered in paper cuts from your office job.

Ooo.

3. Allow the fish to cook/marinade in the lime juice for at least 20m in the fridge. The proteins will denature causing it to become opaque. You can soak the fish for more or less time, depending on how "cooked" you like it. I usually go to about 30-40m. During this break, make your pico in a separate bowl...

Ew.

4. Combine the tomatoes, cilantro, onion, jicama, salt & pepper, Tony's, and olive oil in a separate container. Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary.

5. Drain your fish from the lime. I found this step unusual, but came to really like the balance when all the lime juice is drained away. Mix with the pico. Add the avocado at the end so it doesn't disintegrate. Mix and serve with tortilla chips/tortillas/a spoon/Couchon's sweet potato habanero sauce

Garnish fanciness on par with boredom.