Wednesday, June 11, 2008 10:32 AM
Making dinner when it’s too hot to cook?
There are days when turning on the stove, even to make a pot of coffee, makes me cringe. And as much as I’m loving grilling and barbecuing lately, hovering over a bed of live charcoals to avoid heating up the kitchen still doesn’t cut it.
Last year when the question came up (almost to the day), I wrote about no-cook meal ideas, but it didn’t take long to realize that “cheese and crackers” for dinner, as StacyS444 put it, might not fly for most of ya’ll. Then I wrote about my favorite chilled soups, which require little more than shoving chopped veggies in a blender. Totally do-able, and if DH doesn’t like it, tell him to take you out for dinner.
One more idea: ceviche. Yeah, yeah. “Raw” fish. Some of ya’ll would probably rather crawl in a hot stove than eat ceviche, but you can also make this cool, citrus-y seafood cocktail out of pre-cooked or boiled and chilled shrimp and other fish. It’s healthy, it’s easy to make, and after you get the hang of the basics, it’s one of those dishes you can throw together with whatever you have on hand as long as you have fresh fish. (Although, if you’re TTC or with bump, maybe stick with the chilled soup ☺.)
Tuna Ceviche
1 pound tuna, cut into 1/3” cubes or slices
2 limes, juiced
1 grapefruit, juiced
2 tablespoons coconut milk
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
Optional add-ins: I use all of these ingredients in this ceviche, but you can pick and choose from the list to customize the ceviche to your taste.
1/2 cup water chestnuts or jicama, finely chopped
1/4 – 1/3 cup mango, diced
1/4 cup scallions, chopped
5 Thai basil leaves, chopped
2 sprigs cilantro, chopped
1 teaspoon lime zest
1 teaspoon habanero, Thai, or other chili, minced
1 lime, juiced
Garnish
1 avocado, diced
1/4 cup crisp fried shallots (also sold ready-made in most Asian grocery stores)
Combine the tuna, lime and grapefruit juice, sesame oil, coconut milk and soy sauce in shallow glass baking dish. Refrigerate for 20 minutes to 1 hour (depending on the size of the cubes of tuna). Do not marinate for more than 2 or 3 hours.
When the tuna is cooked, drain off the liquid. Gently toss the fish with the remaining ingredients. Chill for 30 minutes before serving.
Cha-Cha Shrimp Ceviche
1 pound shell-on shrimp, poached in seasoned liquid (recipe follows)
2 quarts water
1 vanilla bean, split
1 stalk lemongrass, chopped
1-inch piece ginger, chopped
2 garlic cloves
1 star anise
1/2 cup yellow or red pepper, diced
1/2 cup sallions, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 cup basil or mint, chopped
2 limes, juiced
1/4 cup mayo
1 teaspoon sriracha/chili paste
Combine the water, vanilla bean, lemongrass, ginger, garlic and star anise in a large stock pot. Bring the water to a boil. Add the shrimp. Reduce heat let the shrimp simmer until cooked through, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and drain the shrimp. Quick-cool the shrimp in a bowl of ice. Dice the shrimp into bite-size, 1/2”-inch pieces.
Mix the yellow pepper, scallion, garlic, herbs, lime juice, mayo and chili paste in a large bowl. Add the shrimp to the mixture and stir until the shrimp are coated.
Chill the ceviche in the refrigerator for 30 minutes before serving.
Ceviche Tips
* Use fresh, sushi grade fish. I’ve used frozen fish in a pinch, but the ceviche tends to get water-y and isn’t as tasty.
* Blanch shhrimp, octopus and squid
* OJ isn’t acidic enough to “cook” fish in a ceviche. Use OJ for flavoring, and use lime, lemon and grapefruit for marinating.
* Raw fish cut in a 1” dice takes about 6 to 8 hours to fully cook in a citrus bath. If you cut the fish down to a 1/3” dice, it’ll take about half the amount of time.
* If the ceviche has a mushy texture after “cooking” in citrus, toss in a few cubes of ice to refresh it. Remove the ice cubes before serving.
[Thanks to BensBabe823 for reminding me about my stash of ceviche recipes!]