Chilean-Style Ceviche

When my plane touched down in Santiago, I let out a gasp of air. It had taken several essays, two planes, and a long visa-application process to get there. The first plane had performed an emergency landing, and by some stroke of luck the customer service rep that answered my plea for another plane ride got me on the next direct flight out of Denver. That first flight took it's toll on me though- it wasn't until I was actually in Santiago that I felt like I could breath again. Despite everything, I made it to Chile just in time to catch a ride with the other students that had flown in that day. 

The first days are all a blur now, but it when I first met my host family, I was both relieved and completely nervous at the same time. I had no idea what it was like to live with siblings, and I had no idea where their house was (or where I was) in relation to everything else in the city. I had a map, tucked into my "Intro to Study Abroad" packet, but the actual roads clearly did not line up with those found on it. The one constant was rolling hills with inconsistently marked intersections. 

That would all change over the course of the next three months. Not the intersections, but my feelings about them, and my ability to navigate Viña del Mar, Valparaiso, and the gap between them. I would know the sound of the fish seller trucking up and down the street to sell the catch of the day, and I would know the smell of baking hallulla at the bakery three doors down. I even got used to the hill-top view of the beach, which rolled seamlessly from city skyline in the south to dusty sand dunes in the north, though it never loss it's power to awe me, especially when the light was right. 

After only a few months, even my cooking style had changed, influenced by Mamá Sandra (my host mom) and the long days we would spend crammed into her tiny kitchen, talking about food and the differences between Chilean cuisine and North American cuisine. I didn't get to cook much- in classic Chilean fashion, Mamá Sandra made breakfast, lunch, dinner, and once (tea time) everyday, for everyone in the house.

With out fail, once a week Sandra would flag down the fisherman as he made his rounds through the neighborhood (or rather, he would flag her down, knowing she would pay a fair price). That night, she'd either bake the fish over onions or dice it up and toss it in lemon juice, making ceviche. 

There's a certain intimidation factor that comes with ceviche, at least for someone that's live land locked their entire life. For some reason, until I lived with Sandra, it was an untouchable dish to be made only by pros (and my dad, who was never daunted by the intimidation factor of a dish). Three months of living in Viña del Mar cleared that up for me. I learned that classic Chilean Ceviche is pretty much a fool-proof dish, as long as you can buy fresh fish. Requirement for making this ceviche = eight ingredients, 15 minutes, and a stroke of confidence. 

This recipe was shared on Real Food Fridays #97.

Chilean-Style Ceviche

Paleo, Gluten-Free, Grain-Free,    |      |   

A classic South American style ceviche.

Serves: 4 for dinner, 10 as an appetizer   |    Total Time:



Ingredients:

  • 1 pound fresh white fish (I use tilapia)
  • Juice from 1 large lemon
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1/4 cup red onion, minced
  • 2 bell peppers, finely diced (I like to use 2 different colors)
  • 1/4 cup cilantro, minced
  • Salt & Pepper
  • Dash of cayenne

Directions:

  1. Dice the fish into 1-cm cubes. Place in serving bowl, and drizzle with lemon juice. Cover with saran wrap and place in fridge. Allow to sit for 1 hour.
  2. Add the garlic, onion, bell peppers, and cilantro. Toss until incorporated.
  3. Season with salt & pepper, and add a dash of cayenne. Toss to distribute. Allow the fish to marinate for 30 more minutes. The fish should being to turn opaque and white (it may not be completely opaque). Serve immediately.
  4. Serving tip: ceviche is usually served with small pieces of toast (here’s a paleo recipe), crackers, chips, or toastones, but I often serve it on a piece of lettuce, like a lettuce wrap.

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Paleo Baked Salmon over Grain-Free Apricot Pilaf (AIP-Friendly)

So, Friday nights. They're for staying in an making that recipe you've been day dreaming about, right? A few weeks ago I was talking to a friend about how my Friday nights are pretty lame, usually involving some pans, some spoons, and sometimes even a spatula. Being a good friend, she told me that cooking was doing something cool with my Friday night. I rolled with it, but I know--most people probably do something more than bake up a salmon fillet and curl up on the couch to watch a movie (you know, after setting up the "set" and taking pictures). 

But you know what? I get to the end of my week, and all I want to do is chill. I want to let go, and destress, and eat. And I want it to taste delicious. 

Lately, fish has been my Friday night date (Well, fish and Oliver--thanks for juicing that lemon, sweetie!). Even plain and simple, baked with a bit of lemon, a well-baked salmon filet is a treat, and in my book, fit for a Friday night. It's flakey, but still juicy. It melts in your mouth, nourishing you body, but also your soul.

This filet is served over a grain-free pilaf, jeweled with dried apricots, a hint of safflower, and parsley. You'd never guess, but this entire plate only takes 30 minutes from start to finish, so you can make the most of your Friday night... whatever that means to you! 

Paleo Baked Salmon over Grain-Free Apricot Pilaf 

Serves 2 - 3

Salmon

3/4 lb salmon filet

1/2 lemon, sliced thin

Salt & Pepper

1 teaspoon Safflower 

1 teaspoon Coconut oil 

Grain-Free Apricot Pilaf 

1 two-pound head cauliflower 

1/2 red onion 

2 cloves garlic 

1 large carrot 

1/3 cup dried apricots 

Salt & Pepper

1/2 tablespoon Safflower

1/2 cup parsley 

Zest of 1 lemon 

1/4 cup chicken broth 

1 tablespoon coconut oil 

 

1. Preheat oven to 450°F. Spoon 1 teaspoon of coconut oil onto a rimmed cookie sheet, and place in oven. 

2. Cut the Salmon in 4-ounce portions. Pull the cookie sheet with the melted coconut oil from the oven, and arrange place the salmon on it. Season with salt, pepper, and safflower. Top with thin slices of lemon. Return to oven. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the salmon is flakey and opaque. 

3. While the salmon bakes, prepare the pilaf. Melt the coconut oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Dice the onion, and mince the garlic. Add both the pan. Dice the carrots, and add them to the pan as well.

4. Grate the cauliflower (I use a food processor with the cheese grating attachment). When the onion is transparent, add the cauliflower to the pan, stirring to coat with oil. Add the broth to the pan, and reduce heat to low. Mince the parsley, and dice the apricots. Add them to the pilaf, along with the lemon zest, and stir occasionally, allowing the riced cauliflower to brown a bit. 

5. Season the pilaf liberally with salt and pepper, and stir in the safflower. Spoon the pilaf onto plates and place the salmon over it. Squeeze fresh lemon juice over the entire dish. 

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Garlic Rosemary Shrimp & Paleo Cocktail Sauce (made without ketchup!)

Shrimp with cocktail sauce is not something I ate growing up. The entire category of shellfish was on my short list of foods that sucked, right there next to tomatoes, ketchup, asparagus, and carrots. I have only a few memories of actually eating shellfish as a kid, and most of them include my dad sneaking tiny shrimp into stews to see if I could detect them. 

Clearly, I just didn't understand that shrimp, roasted and tossed with garlic and rosemary is a gift from the sea. (I eventually learned to like everything on that list, aside from ketchup--ugh!).

I've also learned to appreciate a really good cocktail sauce. One that's zesty. One that actually makes the shrimp taste better, instead of masking it. On that does not include--you guessed it-ketchup. Instead it's made with real tomatoes, horseradish, and garlic. A bit of cayenne, and some lemon juice to round it out. When you start putting real ingredients in cocktail sauce, it actually becomes a power food! Did you know that horseradish is considered a cruciferous vegetable? With molecules called glucosinolates, it's been show to help fight cancer. Horseradish has ten times more glucosinlates than broccoli... So dig in already! 

The beauty of this recipe is it's flexibility. Sensitive tastebuds? Hold the cayenne. Timid when it comes to garlic? Add a little, taste it, and add some more. It's easy to take this recipe and turn it into you own signature sauce concoction.

Garlic Rosemary Shrimp & Paleo Cocktail Sauce (made without ketchup!)

Paleo, Gluten-Free, Grain-Free    |       

More shrimp! Less ketchup.

Serves: 4   |    Total Time:



Ingredients:

    For the Shrimp:
  • 1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
  • 1 tablespoon coconut oil, melted
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, minced
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper

  • For the Cocktail Sauce:
  • 1 cup canned diced tomatoes
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 2 teaspoons Worcestershire Sauce
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
  • 1/2 to 1 ounce piece of fresh horseradish
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
  • Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Toss the shrimp with the melted oil, minced garlic, rosemary, salt, and pepper. Spread the shrimp out on a cookie sheet and place in the oven. Bake for 10 minutes, until shrimp are pink and cooked through.
  2. While shrimp cooks, prepare sauce: If you are using a high speed blender, add all of the ingredients and puree until smooth. If you are using a standard blender or food processor, mince the garlic and shred the horseradish with a microplane and then whisk all of the ingredients until combined.
  3. Serve shrimp warm on a platter alongside a bowl of sauce.

4 Comments