Italian Style Ceviche

Sometimes the best way to enjoy fresh seafood is not to heat it to cook it but rather “cook it” with the marinade.

Ingredients

  • 1 pound fresh, skinless snapper, bass, halibut, or other ocean fish fillets, cut into 1/2-inch dice
  • 1 1/2 cups fresh lime juice
  • 1 medium red onion, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
  • 2 ears of corn, roasted and taken off the cob
  • 2 medium-large tomatoes (about 1 pound), chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
  • Fresh hot green chiles (2 to 3 serranos or 1 to 2 jalapeños or banana peppers), stemmed, seeded and finely chopped
  • 1/3 cup chopped cilantro or basil, plus a few leaves for garnish
  • 1/3 cup chopped pitted green olives
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • Salt
  • 3 tablespoons fresh orange juice or 1/2 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 large or 2 small ripe avocados, peeled, pitted and diced
  • Tostadas, tortilla chips or crostini for serving

Directions

  1. In a 1 1/2-quart glass or stainless steel bowl, combine the fish, lime juice and onion. Use enough juice to cover the fish and allow it to float freely; too little juice means unevenly "cooked" fish. Cover and refrigerate for about 4 hours, until a cube of fish no longer looks raw when broken open. Drain in a colander.

  2. In a large bowl, mix together the tomatoes, green chiles, cilantro, olives and olive oil. Stir in the fish and season with salt, usually about 1/2 teaspoon. Add the orange juice or sugar. Cover and refrigerate if not serving immediately. Just before serving, gently stir in the diced avocado.

  3. *For the freshest flavor, add the flavorings to the fish no more than a couple of hours before serving.*