And now for something completely different: ceviche

So, you've had all these hearty, stewy kinda dishes, and cookies, lately. What can I tell you? This is what I'm cooking lately. Maybe it's time for something fresh?

I LOVE ceviche. I don't make it often, but I DO love it. And as I think about it, this really is the season for it. I do use an "out of season item" in that I use fresh hot peppers, but I don't have to.

There is a myth that ceviche is easy. In concept it is. In practice, it is not. Ceviche, as all of you know, is a mix of raw fish, acid, and other additives, like onions, peppers, spices, and so forth. But.... how many raw fish types are there? How many acids? How many additives? Hmmm.

I will say this: my favorite types of ceviche are simple, and I never MIX fish types. And I almost inevitably use scallops. They're nice and firm, they hold their shape in the acid, and they taste good. I DO mix citrus. If I happen to have some of Kim and Eric's seville oranges around, I use those, but if I don't, I go with classic combinations.

Ok, let's get started. Now, again, this is a dish you want to make a LOT of, because people do respond well to it. Get two pounds of day boat scallops. It's really important to do that for this dish, because if you use the treated ones, they will leak into your marinade, and you will not be happy. The scallops will probably be large. Cut them in half or quarters, whatever is more convenient to you. Put them in a bowl, and add a sprinkle of salt.

My choice of acid is to squeeze the juice of a lemon, that of a lime, and that of a navel orange, together, into the bowl with the fish. I then turn the fish into the juice, using clean hands. Then I taste the juice for saltiness. It's interesting how people assume that, because the fish is from salt water, it's salty. Don't make that assumption. These critters have incredible filtration devices built into their bodies. They push out more salt than you could imagine. You have to get it back in.

Now, for additives. For me, a sliced up red onion, a sliced up green jalapeno pepper, and some jarred, skinned red peppers are essential. Just mix them all up.

Here's the dirty little secret I didn't tell you. You have to do this the night before you want to eat it. Many people make the assumption that ceviche can "cook" in the acid on the countertop for just a few hours. It can, but the marriage is not going to work. Try to let it work for overnight to get all of the flavors to mix together. You'll be glad you did.

To serve? Well, traditionally, you pile this on some shredded cabbage or lettuce, and I'm all in favor of that. I have seen it served in a martini glass, and anything served in a martini glass sits well with me. There are restaurants, especially those where the chefs are from Peru, where ceviche is an art form (try the Peruvian CREAM ceviches for something you won't find anywhere else), where they include popcorn in the mix. Frankly, I had my doubts, but it works real well.

You can use other fish. Try to stay away from really muscular ones (I was going to say oily ones, but I realize that's a personal prejudice, since I don't care for the oily fish). Shrimp work well. So do white fish like cod, haddock, hake, and their relatives. I am not much of a fan of salmon, but I'm told that salmon with a blood orange marinade is fabulous ceviche. Mackerel would probably work real well, or bluefish, if these are REALLY drop dead fresh.

THere isn't much of a calorie in these variations, so let's put this one into the temple food category, and have it balance the coconut cookies.

Right....