Ceviche Tostadas
When the weather turns hot, I like cool meals. It’s time for grilled proteins and pasta salads, poke and lettuce wraps, anything that’s chilled and filling. I don’t care if it’s cold fried chicken, steak salad or raw fish, if it’s cold and full or flavor, it’s all I want. One of my favorite choices during the summer is ceviche.
Whenever I head to the fish market, I always get a cup of their shrimp ceviche and some tortilla chips for lunch. It’s my favorite. I just love the flavor. Full of lime, salt and cilantro, I just can’t get enough. I love ceviche so much, I even make it at home occasionally. I mean, I just can’t spend 15 dollars constantly on a little cup of seafood, can I? Not when it’s super easy to make at home. Yes, I said it. Ceviche is very easy to make at home. How can something raw be easy and safe to make at home? When it’s cooked.
You’re probably wondering how something raw can be be cooked. When the pieces of fish marinate in lemon or lime juice, the citric acid from the juice slowly pull out any potential toxins and cause the flesh to “cook”. The result is raw fish with an opaque appearance and firmed texture of cooked fish. So, now that you know how to cook the fish, the next thing to figure out is what kind of fish to use.
First and foremost, it has to be really good, fresh fish from a source you trust. That said, it could be any kind of fish. While sea bass is the most popular choice, halibut, shrimp or snapper can be used as well. Me, I like to use a mix. Not only do you get a nice combination of textures, you also get a nice mix of flavors. After you pick the fish, the rest of the ingredients are up to you. You can use jalapeños, tomatoes, cucumbers, onion… you can even add fruit if you want. My ceviche is usually pretty simple: cucumbers, red onion, citrus juices, a smidge of jalapeño for a little bite, and of course salt and pepper. Once made there are several ways to enjoy the ceviche: straight out of a bowl or cup, or on top of tortilla chips or crackers. That crunch just gives the ceviche a little extra something. While tortilla chips are a great option, serving it atop tostadas with some freshly sliced avocado make it the perfect summer meal.
Ingredients
- 3/4 pound halibut, bones removed and cut into 1/2-inch dice
- 1/2 pound rock fish, bones removed and cut into 1/2-inch dice
- 1/2 cup fresh lime juice
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 cup red onion, chopped
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes, chopped
- 1-2 Persian cucumbers diced
- 1-2 tablespoons jalapeno, seeded and diced
- 1-2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
- salt and lemon pepper
- 8 tostada shells
- 1 avocado, pitted and sliced
Instructions
- Mix fish, lemon and lime juice together in a large glass bowl. Let sit for at least 15 minutes until fish starts to turn opaque.
- Add the onion, tomatoes, cucumbers, jalapeno, cilantro, salt and pepper and toss until combined. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours to allow fish to cook and flavors to combine.
- Divide tostada shells among 4 plates, spoon ceviche on top. Top with a couple slices of avocado and some chopped cilantro and serve.
