Friday, June 25, 2010

Ceviche? Why Not?


I am very busy here in Kraków as I am involved into some new projects. I do not have any spare time for cooking. I hope that it will change soon. Not only I want to invite you to read my interview with Mr Bajon (the translation is not finished), but I am going to work on new recipes using seasonal and regional products. I am also going to take a few trips around my region, Małopolska and other regions of Poland as well, to search for old and local specialties and producers.  I am not even mentioning my participation to culinary workshops about Jewish cuisine, organized during the International Festival of Jewish Culture in Krakow, which has just started. There are also other foodie events here during the summer, most of them designated to the promotion of small producers of regional products. I am going to visit those places, take pictures of people, food and places.

Today’s dish is far away from Central European traditions. I made this variation on Ceviche  several weeks ago, when my husband was in Warszawa. It is an extra refreshing starter or main dish for a hot summertime. I was hesitating to present it today, because again, the weather here in Kraków is far away not only from the tropics but from summertime in general. I should rather present Polish warming up barley soup, rich and savory Bigos or at least Aligot from Auvergne - my favorite region in France, except for Provence. But, at least theoretically there is a calendar summer. Perhaps in some places where some of you live, one suffers from sweltering heat and would enjoy having a few bites of this low fat and rich in proteins citrus-marinated seafood? I do not know about you, but except for fish tartar and sashimi it is one of my favorite seafood starters. Usually, during the week, I make a simplified and quick version of it with shrimps, which I marinade for a short time.

This time I “cooked” my fish for five hours. Despite the fact that the marinade is extremely acid, the fish, which changes its texture and color (like if it was cooked) keeps the flavor of the sea. Some advise a shorter “cooking” time – depending on the type of fish. I have never checked how much time a particular fish needs for “cooking”. Anyway, I was checking my fish, trying it every hour, and in my opinion, one or two hours for that size of cubes I cut the fish into, was not enough. However, we all have our preferences and the "cooking" time should be set accordingly.

I “cooked” the fish in quite a large amount of lime and lemon juice (the juice should cover the fish completely). As I mentioned it, the marinade itself is very acid, and in Peru it is served as a drink called "Tiger Milk". For me, it is too acid and I threw it away.  I also prepared on the side a simple dressing with the addition of some palm sugar, to balance the taste. You can experiment with other dressings, like for example this one that Cristina prepared, which I discovered just a few days ago. Check her recipe for dressing ; it sounds very appealing and I will definitely try it when I am back in Paris

I served it with cucumbers. You can add avocado (this is how I usually make the shrimp “Ceviche”) and cherry tomatoes or tomatoes. If you want to serve it as a full meal, add some tortilla chips on the side or some rice, or even potatoes. As regards herbs – feel free to experiment and use your favorite: chives, basil, scallions, mint or parsley (I used coriander like in the classical version). 

Serves 4

Ingredients:
200 g salmon, cut into 2-3 cm cubes (you can use any other sea fish, shells or shrimps)
200 g cod loin cut into 2-3 cm cubes
1 medium red onion, peeled, washed and cut into thin slices
3 limes
3 lemons
1 cucumber (around 300 g)
1-2 handfuls of coriander, finely chopped 
5-6 tablespoons olive oil (or as much as you want)
1 small red chili pepper, finely chopped (if you are tempted to have your Ceviche spicier, feel free to add as much as you can stand)
1 tablespoon palm sugar
Salt

Preparation:
Place the cubes of fish in a medium size bowl.
Cut lime and lemons into halves (wash them firstly, of course) and squeeze their juice. Pour the juice on the fish (it should be covered).  Add onions and chili, mix well. Cover the bowl with a plastic film and place it into the fridge for a few hours.
Once the fish is cooked, strain the juice. If you want to serve the marinade as Tiger Milk in small glasses, keep it. Or simply throw it away.
Peel cucumber and cut it into very thin slices.
In a mortar, mash coriander with some olive oil and sugar (if you do not have a mortar, simply mix those ingredients thorough fully). Add a bit of salt, to taste. You can add a tiny bit of sesame oil, too, if you like it.
Place the cucumber onto a plate then lay the cubes of fish with onion and chili. Pour the coriander dressing on top.
I did not add any accompaniment to this dish (as I wanted to enjoy the taste of the fish), but it will go deliciously of course with some cherry tomatoes cut into halves, avocado,  rice  and so on…


And at the end I present my 10th picture stored in my PC. Just before leaving Paris I was invited by Lidka to a bloggers’ play (nobody knows what it is about except for a fact that you should present the 10th picture from you computer).

So here it is – made in summer 2005, probably in Colmar, in Alsace, but I am not quite sure.

Now I invite Karolina.

30 comments:

quinoamatorka said...

Magdaleno, świetne plany, już czekam na relację z ich realizacji :) A co do ceviche - wszystkie Twoje potrawy wyglądają bardzo profesjonalnie, podziwiam!

lo said...

Szalejesz po Krakowie, a ja za nim tęsknię. Ciągle mam nadzieję, że uda mi się dojechać na festiwal, ale widzę to w coraz czarniejszych barwach. Pozdrawiam i baw się dobrze.

anthony said...

Ach pyszny marynowany losos. Ale mi smaka narobilas.... Kroje zawsze w plastry a Ty w kosteczke :-)

LidKa said...

Bardzo ciekawe plany, mam nadzieję że przynajmniej część wrażeń i zdjęć znajdzie się na blogu.
Zazdroszczę festiwalu, nie byliśmy już kilka lat...jakoś się nie składało i bardzo tego żałuję.
Pracuj pilnie i publikuj jak najwięcej.
Pozdrowienia

Joyti said...

Oh my, that is the prettiest ceviche I've never seen!

A SPICY PERSPECTIVE said...

Wonderful! I've never had ceviche with cucumbers. It looks like a perfectly refreshing addition!

Szalony Kucharz said...

Ceviche, you say? Well, this ain't your typical Polish salad, that's true. If it was, you'd probably have to use sauerkraut juice or pickled gherkins as the macerating agent. ;o) I'll have to prepare it one day, the ceviche, the tiger milk and all. It's gonna make a wonderful hangover cure, much more elegant than drinking gherkin brine straight from a jar.

PS. I am so glad I don't have a blog, coz if I had and you wanted me to join that bloggers' game, I would have a very hard time finding a 10th picture oh my harddrive that would not contain anything inapropriate. After all, the Internet is for pr0n, right? ;o)

Magdalena said...

In Polish:

Quinoamatorko, mam nadzieje, ze nie zawale. Ostatnio nie mam czasu na nic, chociaz dzisiaj poswiecilam cala niedziele na zabawy z bundzem. Dzieki za cieple slowa, choc daleko mi do profesjonalizmu, oj daleko ! Ale przyznaje, ze lubie bawic sie z kompozycjami..wciaz bardzo duzo nauki przede mna.

Lo, a moze uda Ci sie tutaj wpasc ? Juz kiedys zapraszalam. A festiwal juz sie zaczal. We wtorek zaczynaja sie warsztaciki kulinarne.

Anthony: akurat wtedy pokroilam w kosteczke, a raczej nie ja, tylko spredzawca na targu rybnym. Mozna kroic tak, jak sie lubi  Zreszta to danie, to taka wariacja na temat ceviche, a raczej danie inspirowane idea. Pozdrawiam...

Lidko, bede sie starac i pracowac, hi hi ... Tak sie sklada, ze od dziesieciu lat jakos tam uczestnicze w festiwalu (niezbyt aktywnie, ale zawsze). W ibieglym roku bylam na warsztatach z kuchni zydowskiej (mam przepisy i na pewno cos zrobie); ciekawa jestem, czy w tym roku zaprezentuja cos innego – zobaczymy.

Pozdrawiam wszystkich, spokojnego tygodnia !!!

Magdalena said...

In English:

Szalony: Actually, it is a pitty that you do not have your own blog (I remember that you had one). I would like to see and read about everything which is inappropriate… I will make trout “ceviche”; marinated in sauerkraut or in pickled gherkins, as you suggest. I will remember! Thanks for giving me this idea ….

Indie.Tea, SpicyPerspective: it is very refreshing with cucumbers, indeed. But actually maybe a bit of rice or even potatoes and avocado would be nice; and some cherry tomatoes.

Take care, guys!

cooking with kait said...

The ceviche looks great. I also hope you will have more time for cooking. :)

Unknown said...

It's really warm here today and your salad looks like the perfect thing for dinner, I really enjoy your blog, love the photo of Colmar, it is a beautiful city!

Tanantha@ I Just Love My Apron said...

Have fun at your trips! Seemed like you're super busy! :)
I like ceviche. Your looks a little different from what I've tried. It looks super good, though! Thanks for the link to Christina. Her version with rice is interesting.

Your presentation is terrific! like like!

PS: good to see you on FB and thank you! :)

fromBAtoParis said...

Thanks for the mention, Magdalena...and I cannot but congratulate you again....Your blog is really from a professional cook...We feel the person behind it knows what she/he is talking about...
Have a nice summer, in spite of the temperature!
Cristina

Szalony Kucharz said...

Trout in sauerkraut and gherkins? Don't you wanna play it safe and make one of many herring salads that our cuisine (not just Polish - the cuisines of all the countries in the Baltic Sea region) boasts? They're like ceviche, only better. ;o)

Katie@Cozydelicious said...

I've always enjoyed ceviche in restaurants - there was a fantastic little Peruvian place near my old apartment with the best ceviche selection! But I've been a bit nervous about making it at home. This looks fantastic though, and easy too. Yum!

Mary Bergfeld said...

You have been very busy. Your ceviche really looks and sounds wonderful and your 10th photo is beautiful. I hope you are having a great day. Blessings...Mary

Reeni said...

This sure would be wonderful right now as it is very hot and humid in my part of the world! I would love this with shrimp and fresh herbs from my garden. Very lovely.

I have never tried a cold pasta putanesca - but it sounds wonderful! I will keep it in mind for the long summer ahead of me.

Magdalena said...

Cooking withKait: yes, yesterday, I was cooking for the whole day (new ideas for my blog).

Patty: Here, today it is warm, too, but last two weeks were rainy and very humid – we have an invasion of aggressive mosquitoes now. All little towns in Alsace are extremely picturesque – houses and churches built from red stones coming from the Vosges; a lot of flowers and green in towns, vineyards surrounding them, a lot of history and good, local food and products.

Tanatha: I am busy, and in plus my husband is in Paris now and I am the only one to take care about our little daughter…It was a pleasure to join your page on FB, as I like your blog a lot.

Cristina, I absolutely had to mention your ceviche and your dressing, which I liked a lot (I am going to try it when I will do ceviche next time). Besides, I appreciate your blog, pictures and presentation.

Kucharz, yes, trout in sauerkraut and rherkins  I want to play with herrings salads, too (I love them) but I will never forget this remark about trout and sauerkraut “ceviche”.

Katie: I would love try the genuine ceviche in a little Peruvian restaurant like yours. I would learn a lot, I am sure.

Mary, thanks. I encourage people to visit Alsace region (not only the south of France is beautiful).

Cinnamon-Girl: you know, my favorite version is with shrimps, too. I do not have my own garde, unfortunately (I hope I will have it one day). Cold putanesca is good – at least, I like it.

Inspired2cook said...

Ceviche...Yumm! Love your photo of the German village!!

Agata Chmielewska (Kurczak) said...

a ja ci zazdraszczam tak dobrej znajomości języka, bo o daniu nie muszę chyba pisać, każdy kto lubi ryby właśnie teraz się slini widząc te zdjęcie :)

Karolina said...

Hello, Magda. I am quite pleased that you actually show something which is not typically Polish, because I believe you have a wide spectrum of interest foodwise.

This dish is fantastic and I have made a salmon one some time ago, but never though about putting some palm sugar in it. It sounds interesting.

Good luck with your plans. :)

my little expat kitchen said...

Your ceviche looks amazing Magdalena! I love these type of dishes especially during the summer.
I like that last photo!
Magda

Delishhh said...

How did you know ceviche was one of my favorite appetizers? Unless carpaccio is on the menu i always order ceviche. I have only made it one at home but this looks like a create recipe. When i was in Costa Rica all i ate was ceviche and they even had ceviche bars and i was in heaven. Thanks for posting!

Anonymous said...

Magdo, jaki piekny blog, wspaniale zdjecia i przepisy, jestem zauroczona. Szkoda tylko, ze nie ma wpisow po francusku:-)
Ciesze sie, ze odkrylam Twoj blog, bede tu regularnie zagladala.
Pozdrawiazm cieplo z Paryza
Elwira

buruuberii said...

Magda, wspaniale plany, ciekawa jestem jakie zakatki Malopolski odwiedzisz, jakie potrawy poznasz? Czy Malopolska ma jakas typowa potrawe, unikalna na tle polskich potrwa?

Zycze Ci udanego czasu w PL!

A losos, no niczego sobie :-)

Magdalena said...

In Polish:
Elwiro, dziięki za wizytę na blogu. Niestety nie dam na razie rady prowadzić dwóch wersji językowych równocześnie. Może uda mi się zrobić polską wersję językową, ale na razie nie mam na to czasu. Mam nadzieję, że mimo to będziesz tutaj do mnie czasem wpadać. Miłego popołudnia !
Basiu, mam zamiaa zjeździć w zasadzie cały region, kiedy zacznę jeździć – jeszcze nie wiem. Na razie wyskoczyłam na weekend do Koninek, kupiłam stuprocentowego oscypka od bacy itp. Potraw i produktó regionalnych jest pełno, problem w tym że na razie chcę zbierać autentyczne, zapomniane przepisy, natomiast niekoniecznie znajdę czas na ich gotowanie (przynajmniej na razie).

Magdalena said...

Aga-aa - e tam - do native speakera to mi bardzo, bardzo daleko. Troche musze sie natrudzic z postami w obcym jezyku :)

Magdalena said...

Inspired: Colmar is in Alsace, in France – but in Alsace, because of history, one can find a lot of German influences. In architecture, too.

Karolina, thanks. Three posts per month inspired by Polish food, and one post per month linked to other culinary traditions – is that ok? I do not have time to publish more than once per week.

My little expat and Delish: ceviche eaten in Costa Rica must be better than mine...

Nisrine said...

Pretty pictures and recipes all over this blog. Lucky to live in such a pretty place!

Bea said...

Twoje ceviche brzmi pysznie Magdaleno, a zdjecie jak zwykle niesamowicie apetyczne!

To ostatnie zdjecie wywolalo usmiech na mojej twarzy, Alzacje darze bowiem wyjatkowym sentymentem. A co do lokalizacji, to wygooglowalam sobie po nazwie widocznej tawerny jej adres i chetnie tam kiedys zawitam :)

Pozdrawiam serdecznie!

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