Lotty is my
very dear friend from Ecuador. She is also my neighbour. Without her warmth I don’t know if I would be able to survive Dutch winters.
Besides being
a loving person and good friend, she is also one of the best cooks I know! Of
all her dishes I would have say her crab & prawn ceviche ranks #1 by far.
Ceviche is a
very popular dish in Bolivia, Perú and Ecuador. You can use different types of
fish for it.
In South
America is it usually served as an appetizer. But glam it up with a couple of
side dishes and you have the perfect meal.
I have tried her recipe many times. Now that according to Lotty I have (almost) mastered perfection, I am ready to audition my recipe! Ceviche has become more and more popular around the world, specially in trendy restaurants in cosmopolitan areas. While in Miami last winter, I tried every ceviche I could find on the menu.
I took her recipe but then gave it my own twist. When she tastes mine she tends to shake her head and say 'nope, too much cumin'. But you know, I really love the extra pzazz!
Ingredients
(for 4 to 6 people)
•400g of clean raw prawns (mid size)
•400g of crab
meat
•2 medium diced
tomatoes (seeds removed)
• a handful of chopped
cilantro
•3 hot chili
peppers (seeds removed, chopped)
•pinch of
Hilamayan pink salt; crushed
•(the juice of) 8 limes
•(the juice of) 1/2 orange
•1 tsp of
cumin
•1/4 cup extra virgin oil
•1/4 cup extra virgin oil
•2 medium red
onions, chopped
•1 avocado, diced
What you do
•slice the
prawns lengthwise in half, and leave them to marinate in a bowl for at least an hour in some salt and cumin;
• then put them in a pan with some water (enough to
cover them) and some extra salt;
•once the
water reaches boiling point, remove the pan from the heat source immediately and leave the prawns to cool down in the pan;
•in a bowl, chop the red onion, the tomatoes and the red chili peppers;
•add the lime and orange juice;
•add the crab meat (and any water it might release), the prawns and the water you cooked them in;
•add the avocado;
•add the extra virgin oil;
•sprincle a generous amount to fresh cilantro
•cover with some cling foil and put in the fridge
Remarks
•ceviche is best served cold and when the ingredients have had the chance to blend for at least a couple of hours;
•if you cannot find crab meat or you find it too expensive in your area, replace it by (very fresh and very thinly sliced, raw) white fish;
•some of the side dishes you could add are: steamed yams or cassava; cassava chips; fried banana.
