From the Galley: Fresh Tuna Ceviche

Last fall, Bill and I helped deliver a Hylas 56 from Annapolis to Ft. Lauderdale. We stayed inside the Gulf Stream for the majority of the trip, but pulled out the fishing gear when we hit the warmer waters of the Stream off North Carolina.

Bill reeling in the big one!

Not long after putting out the rod (we lost several lures on the hand lines), Bill caught a nice sized big eye tuna! 

Nate with our catch of the day

In anticipation of catching fish, we brought a bag of herbs, limes, wasabi, etc. just in case. 😃 Even with a crew of 5 on board, that single tuna provided several awesome meals -- from sashimi to ceviche, to seared tuna steak salads -- and we still froze 1/4 of the fish for the owner to enjoy with his family.

It's hard to beat fresh tuna, and our ceviche was definitely a crew favorite! We've used this recipe with shrimp and squid, or you can substitute any fresh fish or seafood you have (snapper, mahi, scallops, or octopus all work well).

Only fresh seafood should be used for this dish since it is "cooked" by the acidity of the lime juice. Once mixed, it should marinate for at least 1 hour, but not much longer or the seafood will get rubbery.

Fresh Tuna Ceviche

Ingredients:

• 1 pound fresh tuna cut into bite sized pieces
• 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice (2-3 limes)
• 1 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon white vinegar
• 1 handful of fresh cilantro, chopped
• 2 jalapeno peppers, minced (depending on how hot you like it and how hot your peppers are, use or omit the vein and seeds -- I always add the seeds and veins of at least one jalapeno)
• Pinch of sugar
• 1/4 cup minced red onion
• 1 medium-large clove garlic, minced
• Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:
Combine all of the ingredients, stirring to make sure tuna is coated with lime juice. Cover (preferably in an airtight container) and refrigerate for an hour. Serve with tortilla chips. 

Note(s):
If you want to use squid or octopus, its best to blanch first. Combine all other ingredients in your bowl. Meanwhile, bring water to a bowl, add your seafood and blanch for 1 minute. Remove immediately from heat, drain and put seafood in an ice or cold water bath for 5-10 minutes. Once cool, add to your lime juice mixture and marinate.

If the peppers are too hot for your liking and if you have it on board, add some chopped avocado to the mix before serving.

Enjoy!