Another recipe inspired by our travels around France earlier this year. In an effort to recreate the best Ceviche I think I've ever had, at the Eden-Roc Grill in Antibes, I did a little Googling and realized I had to source two key ingredients: Aji Amarillo and fresh passion fruit. The Aji Amarillo is a Peruvian yellow pepper (here in paste form) and staple ingredient of Peruvian Ceviche. It is well worth the having in the pantry/fridge. A little goes a long way and it has a very distinctive flavour so I'm not offering any substitutes here!
The ceviche was pretty amazing but even with all the honey, my first attempt was a little too sour, unless, of course, you crave that mouth-puckering sensation! Having one remaining filet of Rockfish, I modified the recipe the following night by adding some orange juice, which really helped temper the sourness. As with everything, sour and spice level are very personal so please test and taste and test again.
This is a delicious ceviche and well worth the effort of sourcing the Aji, I don't think I can go back to what used to be our staple ceviche 😱.
Ingredients for 2 People as a Main Course or 4 as a Starter
One 8oz filet of Chesapeake Bay Rockfish, or Red Snapper
2 ears of corn on the cob
¼ Cup fresh squeezed lime juice
â…› Cup fresh squeezed orange juice (optional)
2-3 passion fruits cut in half (get extras just in case they're not all ripe)
1-2 Tbsp local honey (not too pungent as it can be overpowering)
I serrano or jalapeño pepper thinly sliced
8-12 heirloom cherry tomatoes, cut in half longitudinally
2 spring onions, white and green parts, thinly cut on the bias
Maldon or other fine sea salt
Cilantro and thin cut potato chips/crisps for garnish
Method
Thinly cut the filet on a bias, with the grain, as shown in the two photos below
Peel off husk and silk from corn and roast dry on the grill, BBQ or in the oven until cooked and slightly charred.
Mix the lime and orange juice (for a less sour marinade), passion fruit pulp (seeds and all),honey and chili pepper in a non-reactive bowl. Here's where you can play with the lime:orange:honey ratios to suit your taste.
Prep the cherry tomatoes and spring onions.
Place the fish slices in the bowl with the marinade and make sure it is all good and submerged.The cook time on the fish is about five minutes. Any longer and you may "overcook" it. At the 5 minute mark, taste to make sure the fish is to your liking, or leave in a bit longer.
When the fish is ready, add the tomatoes and green onions, season with salt to taste, serve and garnish with cilantro and potatoes chips/crisps
