Rockfish Ceviche with Tomato and Corn
Tomatoes, barely-cooked corn, avocados, yellow bell peppers, scallions and cilantro all come together in a super easy ceviche that’s summer in a glass. Riff away to your heart’s desire: Swap basil for the cilantro, use cucumber instead of avocado, top with a few kernels of popcorn or chile threads, swap the rockfish for whatever looks wonderful.
Note about the safety of raw fish
FDA guidelines stipulate that any fish other than tuna species (including bigeye, yellowfin, bonito/skipjack and bluefin) and farmed salmon must be frozen before it’s safe to consume raw; freezing it kills any possible parasites. However, as this excellent Serious Eats article explains, the risk of infection from raw fish is very low. Personally, I would never eat raw farmed salmon, because of well documented problems in their feed (and I don’t like their flavor.) The phrase “sushi-grade” is meaningless. If you’re nervous about the safety of eating raw fish, it’s best to choose something that’s been frozen.
Makes 2 servings.
Ingredients
1 ripe medium tomato
1 garlic clove, chopped
Juice of 2 limes
Salt
1/2 pound / 227 g rockfish, cut into 1/2-inch / 1 cm cubes
1 serrano chile, halved vertically
1 small ear of corn
1 scallion and the green part of a second scallion, sliced
1/4 yellow bell pepper, cut into 1/3 inch / 8 mm dice
1/2 ripe avocado, cut into bite-sized cubes
1 1/2 tablespoons roughly chopped cilantro, plus a few sprigs for garnish
Tostadas for serving (optional)
Instructions
1. Quarter the tomato, and cut one of the quarters into 1/3 inch / 8 mm dice; set aside. Roughly chop the rest of the tomato and put the chopped tomatoes in the jar of a blender or immersion blender with the garlic, lime juice and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt. Blend until very smooth.
2. Put the rockfish in a smallish but deep non-reactive bowl. Sprinkle 1/8 teaspoon of salt on it, toss to combine and let sit one minute. Pour the puréed tomato mixture over it, add 3 or 4 ice cubes and toss to combine. Push the fish down into the marinade so it’s completely submerged. Add the serrano chile halves and push them under the marinade as well. Let the fish marinade for 15 minutes — or longer, if you like it more “cooked.” Stir it once or twice as it marinates, tasting the marinade now and then to see how spicy it is. Once it’s as spicy as you like, pull out the serranos and discard. Remove the ice cubes. Pour all the marinade into a pitcher or measuring cup and set aside, leaving the fish in the bowl.
3. While the fish is marinating, zap the corn in a microwave oven for 60 seconds, or boil it for one minute. Cut the kernels from the cob, measure 1/4 cup of them and save the rest for another use. Put the scallions in a strainer and rinse them well under cold water to soften their bite; drain well.
4. Add the 1/4 cup corn kernels to the bowl with the fish, along with the diced tomato, the scallions, the yellow bell pepper, the avocado and the chopped cilantro. Toss to combine; taste and adjust seasoning. Divide the ceviche between two glasses, and pour some of the reserved marinade over each to taste. Garnish with cilantro sprigs and serve immediately — with tostadas, if desired.
Rockfish Ceviche with Tomato and Corn
Ingredients
- 1 ripe medium tomato
- 1 garlic clove, chopped
- Juice of 2 juicy limes
- Salt
- 1/2 pound / 227 g rockfish, cut into 1/2-inch / 1 cm cubes
- 1 serrano chile, halved vertically
- 1 small ear of corn
- 1 scallion and the green part of a second scallion, sliced
- 1/4 yellow bell pepper, cut into 1/3 inch / 8 mm dice
- 1/2 ripe avocado, cut into bite-sized cubes
- 1 1/2 tablespoons roughly chopped cilantro, plus a few sprigs for garnish
- Tostadas for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Quarter the tomato, and cut one of the quarters into 1/3 inch / 8 mm dice; set aside. Roughly chop the rest of the tomato and put the chopped tomatoes in the jar of a blender or immersion blender with the garlic, lime juice and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt. Blend until very smooth.
- Put the rockfish in a smallish but deep non-reactive bowl. Sprinkle 1/8 teaspoon of salt on it, toss to combine and let sit one minute. Pour the puréed tomato mixture over it, add 3 or 4 ice cubes and toss to combine. Push the fish down into the marinade so it’s completely submerged. Add the serrano chile halves and push them under the marinade as well. Let the fish marinade for 15 minutes — or longer, if you like it more “cooked.” Stir it once or twice as it marinates, tasting the marinade now and then to see how spicy it is. Once it’s as spicy as you like, pull out the serranos and discard. Remove the ice cubes. Pour all the marinade into a pitcher or measuring cup and set aside, leaving the fish in the bowl.
- While the fish is marinating, zap the corn in a microwave oven for 60 seconds, or boil it for one minute. Cut the kernels from the cob, measure 1/4 cup of them and save the rest for another use. Put the scallions in a strainer and rinse them well under cold water to soften their bite; drain well.
- Add the 1/4 cup corn kernels to the bowl with the fish, along with the diced tomato, the scallions, the yellow bell pepper, the avocado and the chopped cilantro. Toss to combine; taste and adjust seasoning. Divide the ceviche between two glasses, and pour some of the reserved marinade over each to taste. Garnish with cilantro sprigs and serve immediately — with tostadas, if desired.
