The secret to great ceviche lies in sourcing the freshest fish. Talk to your fishmonger about your plans and make sure they give you only the freshest catch.
Our take on this classic South American starter involves accenting with grapefruit, and garnishing with avocado and citrus pickled red onions. We recommend pairing this with the recently launched Good Natured Organic Sauvignon Blanc 2022. With citrus, litchi and elderflower flavours culminating in a crisp finish, this certified organic wine is the perfect match for the ceviche’s beguiling layers of acidity.
(Serves 4 as a starter)
Ingredients:
500g freshest sustainably caught line fish fillets, pin-boned (we used sea bass)
Juice of 2 limes
Juice of 1 lemon
Salt, to taste
1-2 ripe grapefruit, sliced into fine segments
About ⅓ cup cucumber, finely diced
15-30ml extra virgin olive oil
A handful fresh coriander, roughly chopped
Salt and pepper, to serve
For the avocado puree:
1 ripe avocado
Juice of a medium lemon
Salt and pepper
For the citrus pickled red onion:
Juice of 1 lime
Juice of 1 lemon
Juice of 1 grapefruit
15ml sugar
1 red onion, finely sliced
Method:
Use a long-bladed very sharp knife to slice the fish into thin slivers, arranging them in a wide bowl. Pour the lime and lemon juice all over, season lightly with salt, cover and leave to cure for 15-20 minutes, or until the flesh has just turned white. Pour off any excess juice. Set aside (covered, refrigerated) while you get the other elements ready for plating.
While the fish is curing, make the avo puree: in a blender, add the avocado (discard skin and stone), lemon juice and season lightly with salt and pepper. Blend to a smooth puree, then transfer to a piping bag. Set aside until ready to plate. (If you’d rather serve sliced avo instead of a puree then feel free to do so.)
For the citrus pickled red onion: place all the ingredients in a glass jar and shake gently to mix. Refrigerate until ready to serve, at least 2 hours or overnight.
To serve: arrange the slices of ceviche on a serving platter, then top with grapefruit segments and diced cucumber. Pipe the avocado all over, then top with some pickled red onion, coriander leaves and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and serve at once.
Spier Good Natured Organic wines can be tasted and purchased at the farm in Stellenbosch and online at shop.spier.co.za.