Summer Seafood: Ceviche

Today I am thinking of white sand, lapping ocean waves, bright sunshine...and a cold Corona with a bowl of ceviche. Crisp, tart flavors, low in fat, easy to prepare, and oh so good, ceviche is the perfect summertime food, and one that is popular south of the border.

I may not be able to hang out on a beach in Mexico, but I can make this simple seafood salad, and pretend a little bit. Commonly served in Latin countries, ceviche is comprised of a mixture of one or more seafood items with an acid marinade, complemented by fresh vegetables and herbs. People tend to shy away from this dish, thinking it difficult to make and wary of the idea that an acid base actually "cooks" the fish. Starting with a base of lime or lemon juice, you add diced raw seafood, cilantro, and your choice of veggies. You refrigerate the mixture for at least 8 hours, and serve it cold. A bit of chop, a bit of dice, a squeeze of that, and you have a healthy, tasty dish sure to please your palate and that of your guests.

Depending on where you live, you can use a firm white fish, shrimp/prawns, or scallops. Mahi mahi, sea bass, or swordfish, among others, work well in this dish. Typical veggies include diced onion, pepper, tomato, cucumber, avocado, celery, and minced garlic. The nice thing about this dish is being able to prepare it in advance (24 hours or more, if you so please), eliminating the rush to cook prior to serving. Best of all, this dish is healthy. No added oil means that the only fat is contained in the seafood itself, which for most of the types mentioned above is 0-2 grams of saturated fat. Calorie-wise there is about 150-200 calories in 4 ounces of these fish, and the added ingredients don't add more than another 50 calories, so we're talking 200-250 calories for 5-6 ounces of ceviche, not to mention the relaxing effect it has if it reminds you of sitting on the aforementioned beach in Mexico whiling away the hours under a palm tree. Low in sodium and cholesterol, this is really a guilt-free dish.

Ceviche can be served a variety of ways:

• Dip for Chips: Serve ceviche in a bowl like you would guacamole, using tortilla chips as scoops.
• Appetizer/First Course: Serve ceviche in a bowl, margarita glass, or even a martini glass, as an appetizer, much like you would a shrimp cocktail. Top with a slice of avocado.
• Salad: Ceviche works well over a soft lettuce, such as Bibb or red leaf lettuce. Prepare a bed of torn lettuce leaves and top with ceviche and avocado. The marinade will work as a dressing.
• Light Lunch: Crisp fry corn tortillas (or purchase tostada shells) and top with ceviche, some cotilla cheese, sprinkle with cilantro and you're ready to eat.

My favorite recipe (below) is quick to make and serves 6-8 depending on how you serve it.

1 pound raw prawns, shelled and deveined
1 pound raw sea scallops
½ cup red onion, diced
2 Pasilla peppers, minced
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 Roma tomatoes, diced
½ cup chopped cilantro
1 cup lime juice (approximately 8 limes)
Salt to taste

Roughly chop the prawns and scallops. Mix with all the diced vegetables, add cilantro and lime juice and approximately 1 teaspoon of salt. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours (and up to 48). Adjust salt as necessary and serve.

NOTE: If you like the burn of the tongue, you can substitute jalapeno peppers.