How to make sea bass ceviche with avocado and ruby grapefruit

Picture this: soft milky white flakes of sea bass, crimson slivers of ruby grapefruit and the soft two-tone green of avocado – you know it’s going to be good even before you’ve had the first delicious mouthful.

Until about a month ago I’d never tried ceviche. I’d watched it being made many times on cooking programmes, but just never got round to making it myself.

So, when another foodie in the office asked me if I’d ever made ceviche, then continued to tell me how absolutely wonderful it was, I knew I had to make some that evening. It is now my new favourite dish.

A little research revealed that there are many variations to this recipe but all are based on fish, vegetables, herbs and a citrus marinade. Any white fish can be used, go for one with a firm texture so that it doesn’t dissolve in the citrus juice, or, even worse, become rubbery.

I added crunchy salad vegetables, which were a lovely contrast to the soft flakes of fish.

Throw in as many soft herbs as you have to hand. I think coriander is a must, but mint, basil and flat leaf parsley work really well too. As for the choice of citrus, I’ve read that Peruvian limes are quite sour, so a blend of lemon and lime juice works well instead.

You could also add a little orange or yuzu juice to the lime to sweeten the marinade, however, as I was adding ruby grapefruit segments it made sense to add the reserved juice to the marinade.

The marinade deserves a paragraph to itself. The reason that ceviche has now become my new favourite dish (did I mention that already?) is due mostly to the liquid it is “cooked” in.

A potent mix of citrus juice, onions, chilli and salt, known as leche de tigre or tiger’s milk. This liquid not only cures the fish, but after it has taken on the wonderful juices of the fish it is marinating, can then be served in a glass to accompany the dish, and it is truly delicious.

In Peru, it is believed to be a hangover cure – I don’t think I’ll test that theory.

Ceviche should be put together just before you are ready to eat to ensure you don’t over marinate the fish.

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Serves 2

1 ruby grapefruit
1 small red onion, very thinly sliced
1 corn on the cob, charred in a griddle pan
1 small yellow pepper, deseeded and diced
1 stick of celery, cut in half lengthways and finely sliced
5 or 6 radishes, cut in half and sliced into half moons
½ small cucumber, skin and seeds removed then diced
4 sprigs fresh mint
Small bunch coriander
2 medium sea bass fillets
1 large avocado

For the leche de tigre marinade

Juice of 3 large limes
3 pinches salt
1 red chilli, finely sliced
1 fat garlic clove, very finely sliced
1 thumb of ginger, cut into matchsticks
2tsp hot sauce

To finish

Toasted sesame oil
Small box cress
Blue and white tortilla chips (optional)

To make the leche de tigre marinade, pour the lime juice into a large jug and add the salt, chilli, garlic and ginger. Remove the stalks from the coriander and finely chop. Add to the jug along with the red onion slices and the hot sauce. Mix well, cover and leave to one side to let the flavours infuse.

With a sharp knife, cut the peel from the grapefruit and carefully remove the segments, do this over a large bowl to catch the juice. Squeeze any remaining juice from the grapefruit carcass then pour the saved juice into the jug with the lime juice and put the grapefruit segments back into the bowl.

Finely chop the mint and coriander leaves and put to one side.

Slice the corn kernels from the cob and add to the bowl along with the pepper, celery, radishes and cucumber.

Slice the sea bass into 1cm strips and place in a bowl with a large pinch of salt. Mix together gently to avoid breaking up the fish, the salt will help soften the flesh to allow it to take on more of the flavours of the marinade. Leave for a couple of minutes then add to the vegetables and cover everything with the marinade. Mix well together then leave to marinate for 3-5 minutes. Meanwhile, peel the avocado, remove the stone and slice lengthways. Arrange the slices on the side of two plates, squeeze over a little extra lime juice to prevent the avocado flesh from discolouring.

When the fish flesh has turned a milky white it is ready to eat, but taste a little first to make sure it is “cooked” to your taste. It shouldn’t be raw but equally you don’t want to leave the fish marinating for too long in the citrus juices. Mix in the chopped herbs, taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Using a slotted spoon, divide the mixture between the two plates.

Drizzle with a little toasted sesame oil and sprinkle over some snipped cress. Serve with tortilla chips to scoop up the ceviche. Pour the remaining marinade from the bowl through a fine sieve into small glasses and serve along with the ceviche.

Follow Beverley Hicks @littlechelseakitchen