If you wanna put a spin on your traditional ceviche, this will most definitely do it.
Don't want to hear me ramble on and on... get just the recipe here!
So I made a tiger’s milk–inspired sauce the other day and wanted to try it on fish a few different ways. I ended up cooking a whole branzino with it and also made a ceviche. Both turned out great, but honestly, the ceviche is where it really shined. It was a very different take on traditional North American ceviche… which kinda seems to be my style with most things I cook, and it’s now my go-to when I have the time to add a Peruvian twist.
Recipe Supplies:
• Fresh Whitefish (2 Lbs. I used rockfish... but lots of different white fish will work)
• Limes and lemon (A good amount. At least 2-3 lemons and 6 limes)
• Red onion (1/2-3/4 use your judgement}
• Cilantro (1 bushel)
• Sugar (dash or two)
• Avocado (1 large)
Tigers Milk:
• Clam Juice (1/2 jar)
• Ginger (7 thin slices)
• Garlic (5 cloves)
• Cilantro (1/2 Bushel)
• Mint (10-15 leaves)
• Red Onion (1/3)
• Lime (4)
• Habanero Pepper (2.5-3)
• Jalapeno Pepper (1)
• Coconut Milk (1/3)
• Salt (to taste)
• EVOO (couple splashes)
Instructions:
Start by prepping your fish for the ceviche. Cut off any tough parts of the fillets, then cut the fish into small pieces and put them into a mixing bowl. The portions above for the sauce are big enough for about 2 pounds of fish. This will make a lot of ceviche, but it keeps really well for about 2–3 days and is the perfect size for a dinner party.
Once the fish is cut and in the bowl, pour enough lime and lemon (or just lime) juice into the bowl to cover all the fish. You’re basically marinating the fish in citrus. Let the fish “cook” in the juice for about an hour. Make sure you stir it a few times so everything cooks evenly.
Next, you’re going to make the sauce while the little fishy cooks!
Cut the jalapeño and habaneros in half and deseed them. Thinly slice the ginger. Then put all the veggies in a cast-iron pan and broil in the oven or grill until they cook down a bit to bring out the flavor—about 10 minutes.
Mix the cooked veggies, clam juice, mint, cilantro, coconut milk, lime, salt, and EVOO in a blender. Depending on the size of your blender situation, you can start with half and then do the other half. I find this helpful because you can taste the first batch and see which direction your sauce is headed… the peppers are always the big question. You just never know how hot they’re gonna be (or not)! You might need to readjust.
Start small with the salt and then season accordingly. You’ll end up using a fair amount to taste all the different components of the sauce.
Chop the cilantro and cube your avocado. Cut the red onion into small pieces (I always cut everything pretty fine so you’re not overwhelmed with a huge bite of onion, etc.) and set aside. Once the fish has cooked in the lime juice for an hour, drain the citrus concoction out of the mixing bowl. Combine the tiger’s milk with the fish and everything else that was chopped up.
Mix, then season to taste with salt and a few pinches of sugar. Tada!