I have always loved Ceviche for its fresh, citrusy flavours. It’s a wonderful dish found in many Latin American countries, especially in Peru. It comes in many forms, typically as a fish salad, often served with tortilla or plantain chips. It makes a fantastic light meal. I love serving it as a starter for dinner parties!

Ceviche is essentially raw fish that is marinated in the fresh juice of lemons, limes or similar citrus fruit, which “cooks” the meat. The acid in the citrus juice “denatures” the proteins in fish, which turns the flesh opaque or poached. This ends up in lovely tender fish meat that isn’t cooked as such, but isn’t raw either, with a wonderfully zesty flavour.

For ceviche tacos, I simply made the ceviche as usual and then wrapped all the delicious fresh ingredients in soft tortilla. It’s a very simple recipe and a lovely different way to eat fish, or tacos, or the best of both worlds. A healthier kind of taco, for sure, made with mild lean fish.

Making ceviche has the unique advantage that there’s no cooking involved, so you don’t need an oven, BBQ or cooker. You only need a bit of patience to let the fish marinate; fresh ingredients a chopping board, and a bowl!

Because you will be using fresh ingredients, using high quality fish is key to achieve the best taste. I used seabass fillets from Bradley’s Fish. Make sure to buy a really ripe avocado, and the tomatoes should also be aromatic and fresh (on the vine is my top choice).

The addition of pomegranate seeds and red grapefruit to ceviche is not really traditional, but something than I would highly recommend, especially the grapefruit! As a different citrus fruit, the grapefruit juice helps to “cook” the fish with slightly sweeter notes than just lemons and limes. Apart from that, its deep, vibrant red colour is just stunning –a few chunks of fresh grapefruit adds a delightful touch of freshness to the dish, plus a mild bitterness that mixes beautifully with the creamy avocado.

Do you like this recipe? Share your thoughts in the comments! If you make it, remember to tag me @Glasgowfoodelicious 😁

Seabass ceviche tacos

Ingredients (serves 2)

• 2 fresh seabass fillets
• 1 large pink grapefruit
• 2 tablespoons pomegranate seeds
• Juice of 4 lemons / limes (3 for juicing, 1 for serving)
• 1 shallot (or 1/2 red onion) finely chopped
• 1/2 red bell pepper, finely chopped
• 1 beefsteak or large tomato, deseeded and finely chopped
• 1 red chilli
• 1 ripe avocado, diced
• Handful of fresh coriander
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 4 tortilla wraps

Method

1. Take a glass or ceramic bowl and fill with the juice of freshly squeezed lemons and half of the grapefruit (reserve the other half for later), with a generous amount of salt. Remove the skin from the seabass, dice into chunks, then add to the citrus juice bowl, making sure the fish is covered by the juice. Cover it with plastic wrap and let it marinate for 30 – 40 minutes, until flesh is opaque.
2. Finely chop the shallot, bell pepper, tomato and half of the chilli (deseeded unless you like it hot🔥). Mix with freshly chopped coriander and a drizzle of olive oil. Set aside.
3. When the fish is ready, drain and mix with the vegetables. Slice the other half of the grapefruit to dice grapefruit segments, and add to the mix, along with the diced avocado and pomegranate seeds. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Serve on soft tortilla wraps with a wedge of lemon. Garnish with fresh coriander and a few slices of red chilli.