Ceviche – “cooking” in summer’s heat

From Mary’s kitchen

OK, I was sincerely impressed with Meg’s series on Brazilian fejoida completa, celebrating the Olympics. She taught me to make fejoida and rice with pegi while we were in college.  I still make fejoida occasionally. Even though 27 meats never appear in my version, its still pretty tasty.  I had to confess to Meg that this was the first I realized that “pegi” not “Peggy” was the crusty rice at the bottom of the rice cooking pan.  Always wondered what Peggy had to do with it…

So, as I lamented how I would have a hard time following her Olympian series, she suggested that I write about what to cook in our summer’s heat.  The problem with that strategy Meg is that we have “hot” in this area 10 months out of the year most years.  So, my cooking is perhaps less seasonal than one might expect. I have been known to make biscotti, chili, spaghetti sauce, gumbo, moussaka and other large quantity dishes generating heat in the kitchen in the when hurricanes appear on the horizon. To put this in an annual perspective, note that the hurricane season occupies half of our year, starting in June and lasting through November.

Nonetheless, I have several suggestions for hot-weather cooking which, while not keeping you out of the kitchen entirely, will still minimize the effort and heat generated with the cooking itself.  Ceviche (also seviche, cebiche) appears to be a generic term for seafood “cooked” in citrus juice. One of my most memorable ceviche experiences was on a cooking excursion from a cruise stop-over in Puerto Montt in southern Chile. The chef bought octopus fresh from the harbor, steamed it, then chopped the tentacles, added chopped red pepper, thinly sliced red onion, and marinated the mixture briefly in citrus juices.  I suspect lime juice played a role, as Pisco sours were also on the menu.  The octopus ceviche was really tasty, with minimal cooking.  

At home, I rarely see octopus in the grocery…  So, I’ve made ceviche from uncooked firm white fish, shrimp or scallops.  I found this particular recipe for a scallop ceviche on the Fine Cooking website, and have modified it to accommodate some shortcuts. 

1 bag of frozen bay scallops

Watermelon – a small seedless melon is great

2 pink grapefruits

2-3 lemons

Red onion chopped

Red pepper flakes

Salt and pepper

Parsley

Thaw the bay scallops and drain.  Large sea scallops would work fine, but cut each into 4-5 pieces.  I happen to like to convenience of the frozen bay scallops – no chopping necessary.  Cut the watermelon into 1/2” cubes – you’ll need ~ 2 cups or more depending on your taste.  Cut off the peel and pith of one grapefruit to expose the flesh.  Cut around the membranes to remove the sections, then cut each section into 3-4 pieces.  Squeeze the juice from the remaining membranes into a measuring cup.  Juice the second grapefruit, adding to the measuring cup, to make about 2/3 cup total juice.  Halve and juice the lemons, to make about 2/3 cup juice.  Combine the scallops, melon, grapefruit, and the juices in a non-reactive bowl.  Toss with several tablespoons chopped onion, some red pepper flakes to add a bit of bite, salt and pepper to taste, and some chopped parsley (I’ve used both fresh and dried).  I’ve not given any proportions for these elements, as I think their addition should be really to taste.  I happen to like the bite of the onion/pepper addition – so my measurements might be much more than yours.  Let the combination sit covered in the refrigerator at least 30 min or until the scallops become opaque.  If overnight, I’d stir the ceviche a couple of times to keep the scallops exposed to the acidic juice, which is the “cooking” agent in this recipe.  To test whether the ceviche is ready, spoon out one of the scallops - it should be opaque throughout and have a “cooked” texture.  This mixture will hold fine in the refrigerator overnight.

Pile each serving into a cradle of some Bibb lettuce, and serve with crusty bread and some wine to make a light meal for hot nights.  Small bites of the ceviche also go over really well as party appetizers, served up in shot glasses or Chinese soup spoons.  Tasty, not filling, and no heat generated in the kitchen.  Go for it…