Tuna Ceviche

When I was in Peru several years ago, one of my favorite memories is of some ceviche I ate while passing through an adorable coastal town. The restaurant was in a long line of open air shops that sat about 100 feet back from the water. We sat on the patio and had the most amazing ceviche appetizers to the sound of waves breaking on the shore. I don’t remember the rest of the dinner, but I haven’t been able to forget the ceviche. After dinner, we all played volleyball and then camped on the beach. I can’t recreate the volleyball and the camping for you, and I certainly put my own spin on Peruvian ceviche, but this was delicious. This recipe serves two, but it can easily be multiplied for as many servings as you want.

Ingredients

1/2 lb sashimi-grade tuna
3 limes
5-7 kumquats
1/4 small red onion, sliced thin
1 jalapeño, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
4-5 sprigs cilantro, chopped fine
3 t white wine vinegar
1 t kosher salt
1 avocado (optional)

Traditionally, Peruvian ceviche is made with various types of white fish. However, at the grocery store where I was, the tuna looked much better. Go with what looks great to you. Either way, you’ll want to dice the fish into bite-size pieces, with slices that are thin and long, as opposed to perfectly square.

Using a citrus reamer, squeeze the juice of three limes over the tuna. Next, thinly slice the kumquats and red onion, and add to your tuna.

Finely mince the jalapeño and garlic, and toss into the ceviche. Chop up the cilantro, and add to the mixture. Pour the white wine vinegar and salt over the ingredients, toss and let marinate for at least an hour. The color of the fish will actually lighten as the acid cooks it.

To serve, garnish with fresh cilantro and avocado slices if you want. I really loved the creamy avocado to cut the acid, but Bryan preferred it without, so go with what works for you. Enjoy!