I’ve been VERY obsessed with fishing lately. The guys over at Back Water 2 Blue Water fishing club have been very instrumental in getting me on the water more, or at least providing opportunity to go out and learn to catch fish. Providing me the opportunity to go fishing is sort of like taking an alcoholic to a bar…how can I say no? (I’m not belittling alcoholism, btw)
So when the emails started coming in about chances to go fishing, I went.
Again and again and again and…well, you get the picture.
I so love fishing! My bumper sticker, “Fish Control My Brian” is fairly accurate…
I’ve somehow been able to get in over 30 hours of fishing in the last week….it is no wonder that my articles have been coming in late for the last 5 days..I apologize!
But in all that fishing, I’ve also managed to bring some fish home, and enough so that I could do some fancy fixin’s, in this case, some ceviche.
Ceviche is almost just salsa with fish in it, with a few particulars. One thing that it must have is an acidic fruit juice. In our house that is almost always lime juice. And as to the fish, it is put in raw, so must be fresh. Other than that, as far as I can tell (or care when I’m making it), its just good fresh salsa with fish.
Since I’m always going on about using local, growing your own, and wasting nothing, I opted to make a modified mango base for my ceviche. With all of the recent winds we have had, I have an unfortunate number of green windfallen mangoes. Luckily, I also have a few that are starting to ripen, so I capitalized on the opportunity….
Sweet Green Mango Ceviche
- 1 green (unripe) mango (should yield 1-2 cups)
- 1 ripe mango, just as large as the green one
- 1 large sweet onion
- Cilantro
- Limes for juicing, or store-bought lime juice, if you must.*
- Tomatoes
- Cucumber
- Hot peppers to taste, I opted for my dried pepper flakes
Peel the green mango and dice it, omitting the large seed.
Cut the side off of the mango, then slice the flesh, but not the peel, in opposite directions. From the back, push the peel in, sort of trying to turn the mango inside-out. This gives you this:
Slice off the mango fingers into a small dice.
Dice the onion, tomatoes, and cucumber. Chop the cilantro.
Dice the fresh fish. I used the remaining grunts I caught the previous day.
Add everything to the bowl, including my home made dried pepper flakes and a pinch of salt:
Add a liberal amount of lime juice. I used about a cup for this batch.
Mix it thoroughly.
Put it in the fridge for at least 4 hours, mixing every 30 minutes or so.
Yes, you just put raw fish into your fresh salsa….however, the acid in the line juice denatures the protein in the fish, effectively cooking it. The only issue you may want to consider is the slim chance of contracting Anisakiasis, since the acids do NOT kill these nematodes. Read more about it here. If this concerns you, freeze the fish at -4 degrees Fahrenheit for 7 days. I am not concerned, since fewer than ten cases occur annually in the United States.
After 4 hours, better still, overnight, your fish will have turned white from the lime juice. Taste a bite, and adjust the salt to taste. The end result is a fantastic, fresh dish that covers the full range of tastes. The variety of textures ranges from the soft, chewy fish and ripe mango, to the crisp, crunchy green mango and cucumber.
I serve mine with slices of more cucumber (and a dusting of more hot pepper flakes) since I still avoid all grains (no crackers!) Eat it like you would a salsa, over eggs, with chips, or simply with a spoon….and you will love it, promise.
*Limes – Store bought lime (and lemon!) juice is one of our long-term storage items with a shelf life of 2+ years. I suggest stocking up to a gallon…good for cooking, pickling, salsas, salad dressings, and my wife’s favorite, lime Hollandaise sauce (See below for THAT recipe!)
Easy Blender Lime Hollandaise Sauce
- 1 large egg yolk (or 5-6 quail egg yolks!)
- 2++ teaspoons freshly squeezed lime juice (The wife likes lots of lime flavor!)
- Pinch cayenne pepper (I usually use my dried and powdered habanero pepper)
- 1/2 stick butter
- Salt to taste
Put the butter in a small microwave safe bowl and melt in a microwave until just melted.
While the butter is melting, put the egg yolk, lime juice, and hot pepper in a blender. Pulse a couple times to combine.
With the blender running, gradually add the melted butter into the egg to make a smooth frothy sauce. If the sauce is very thick, a little more lime juice to loosen it up. Season with the salt and serve immediately. Don’t try reheating this stuff, its never the same…
I made this on my wife’s birthday, for her favorite breakfast, Florida Eggs Benedict. The Florida part is simply the sauce replacement….whatever makes Momma happy…
Peace,
db
As always, please “like” FloridaHillbilly on Facebook, subscribe to my feed, follow me on Twitter, add it to Google+, Pinterest, Linkdn, Digg, and/or tell your friends! The more folks that start behaving like ants, the fewer grasshoppers there will be left needing help.
Need something from Amazon (and who doesn’t)? I earn a small commission from purchases made when you begin your Amazon shopping experience here. You still get great Amazon service and your price is the same, no matter what.