Recipe for spicy tuna and avocado ceviche

Everyone (including me) will tell you that you should never shop for fish on Monday morning, yet it was a field trip to my local fishmonger last Monday morning with my summer intern that inspired this amazing tuna and avocado ceviche. We'd gone to get the kinds of things you can buy on a Monday -- fish for chowder, clams and clam broth, and calamari -- and there, calling to us, was sushi-grade tuna, tightly wrapped in plastic to keep the air from degrading it. Ceviche (pronounced seh VEE chay) is a Latin appetizer of raw fish "cooked" in an acid like lime or lemon. I had beautiful purple scallions and cilantro from the farmers' market, an avocado, and a full pantry of Asian condiments. My spicy ceviche came together in five minutes, and I could have inhaled the entire bowl in five more minutes if I hadn't stopped to photograph it. Sushi-grade tuna isn't inexpensive, so this dish would be a wonderful dinner party appetizer, or a special treat for a romantic evening at home.

Spicy tuna and avocado ceviche

From the pantry, you'll need: lime, sambal oelek, reduced-sodium soy sauce, kosher salt.

Serves 6-8 as an appetizer.

Ingredients

Juice of 1/2 lime
1 tsp sambal oelek
1 tsp reduced-sodium soy sauce
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1 large red or green scallion, minced
1 avocado, diced
1/2 lb chilled sushi-grade tuna, diced
2 tsp chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Directions

In a mixing bowl, combine lime juice, sambal, soy sauce and salt. Add remaining ingredients, and toss to coat.

The lime juice will begin to "cook" the fish, so make this at the last minute. Serve immediately, while still cold, with crackers, toasted bread slices, or in lettuce leaves.

[Printer-friendly recipe.]

More recipes in The Perfect Pantry:
Grilled tuna sandwiches with tartar sauce
Tuna Nicoise-ish
Kartoom croquettes
Spicy turkey rolls
Salsa and shrimp stuffed avocado

Other recipes that use these pantry ingredients:
Sambal oelek chicken wings with sushi, from For the Love of Food
Mongolian beef, from Appetite for China
Rhubarb chicken, from Anne's Food
Eggplant and tofu in spicy garlic sauce, from FatFree Vegan Kitchen
Asian lettuce cups (or wraps) with spicy ground turkey filling, from Kalyn's Kitchen

Spicy tuna and avocado ceviche

From the pantry, you'll need: lime, sambal oelek, reduced-sodium soy sauce, kosher salt.

Serves 6-8 as an appetizer.

Ingredients

Juice of 1/2 lime
1 tsp sambal oelek
1 tsp reduced-sodium soy sauce
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1 large red or green scallion, minced
1 avocado, diced
1/2 lb chilled sushi-grade tuna, diced
2 tsp chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Directions

In a mixing bowl, combine lime juice, sambal, soy sauce and salt. Add remaining ingredients, and toss to coat.

The lime juice will begin to "cook" the fish, so make this at the last minute. Serve immediately, while still cold, with crackers, toasted bread slices, or in lettuce leaves.

[Printer-friendly recipe.]

More recipes in The Perfect Pantry:
Grilled tuna sandwiches with tartar sauce
Tuna Nicoise-ish
Kartoom croquettes
Spicy turkey rolls
Salsa and shrimp stuffed avocado

Other recipes that use these pantry ingredients:
Sambal oelek chicken wings with sushi, from For the Love of Food
Mongolian beef, from Appetite for China
Rhubarb chicken, from Anne's Food
Eggplant and tofu in spicy garlic sauce, from FatFree Vegan Kitchen
Asian lettuce cups (or wraps) with spicy ground turkey filling, from Kalyn's Kitchen

Comments

I had just been looking for recipes for salmon ceviche when I came across this delicious version.

Oh yes, this sounds amazing. Of course I might have a bit more cilantro in mine! Perfect for Phase One too.

WHy didn't I read this BEFORE I went shopping today??? My mouth is watering.

Are those purple things the purple scallion? I have never seen that before - what a gorgeous color.

Bellini, this would be delicious with sushi-grade salmon, too.

Kalyn, so glad this is a Phase One recipe for South Beach Diet followers. (And I thought you'd be impressed that I used as much cilantro as I did!)

Judy, yes, those are the purple scallions I bought from an organic farmer at the market last week. They are absolutely gorgeous with the color of the fish.

I love how this is served! Lovely presentation

Oh this looks perfect.

Maris, Alta: Thanks so much. It's such a gorgeous dish, all on its own, and tastes as good as it looks!

This reminds me of ahi poke that is so popular in Hawaii. Light and refreshing, a terrific no-cook summer meal. Wish I could taste it now!

By the way...why is it okay to buy SOME fish on a Monday morning? Just wondering . . .

Jeanette, I've never had ahi poke in Hawaii. Shall we go?

Judy, that's a great question. On Monday mornings, the fish isn't fresh caught (because the fishermen don't bring fish in on Sundays). So what I buy on Mondays is always refrigerated, which doesn't make it bad, but it's not fresh-caught. Things like shucked clams and cleaned squid that I'm going to use for soups and salad are perfectly fine to buy on Mondays. I bought the sushi-grade tuna, also, because it's not local and is always refrigerated (here) anyway. Fish that is local (for us, cod, salmon, bluefish) should never be bought at a market on Monday morning; ask the fishmonger when the day's harvest will come in, and wait until the afternoon.

Hmm - first you get a summer intern, and now you're breaking all the fish rules. What's next? A Perfect Pantry Throw Down?

I am amazed you used any cilantro!! :-)