Leave to marinate for up to 1 hour any longer and the fish will be
Leave to marinate for up to 1 hour; any longer, and the fish will be too “cooked”. Chop the coriander leaves coarsely, add to the mixture, and season. The chopped and seasoned avocado is an addition of my own, and closely resembles that other Mexican favourite, guacamole.450g/1lb fillet of salmon, skinned & boned4 ripe tomatoes, skinned, deseeded & finely choppedgreen chillies, deseeded & chopped, to taste (4-6 small hot chillies makes quite a fiery ceviche)juice of 2 limes1 small red onion, peeled & finely chopped1 bunch of coriander, leaves onlysaltFor the guacamole:2 small ripe avocados1 garlic clove, peeled & finely choppedjuice of 1 lime2 tbsp olive oilsalt & pepperCut the salmon into chunky slivers, and mix with the tomatoes, chillies, lime juice and onion. The other basic ingredient in ceviche is usually just onion, but the dish comes into its own when tomato, coriander and chilli are introduced. Spoon over the fish fillets, and sprinkle with the capers and a few tarragon leaves. Dust with a little cayenne, if you wish.CEVICHE OF SALMONCeviche derives from Mexico, and is, when all’s said and done, raw fish “cooked” (ie marinated) in lime juice. Remove the skin from the hake, lift off the fillets, and lay them neatly over the beans.
Thin the mayonnaise with a little of the court-bouillon water to give it a coating consistency. Add the tarragon, and set aside.Mix together the garlic, beans, tomatoes, vinegar and olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and warm through gently until hot but not boiling Pour into a warmed deep white oval dish. Pour in the groundnut oil in the thinnest stream possible, then follow it with the olive oil, beating all the while until thick. For the mayonnaise, whisk together the egg yolks, mustard, Tabasco, vinegar and salt. Serve warm, rather than hot from the oven.WARM HAKE WITH THINNED MAYONNAISE & CAPERSIn Italy, I once had a dish of warm fillets of sea bass, lightly cooked and dressed with mayonnaise and some little flageolet beans It was delicious. Made with hake, it can be just as good, certainly less expensive, and is perfect for a summer outdoor lunch.1.8kg/4lb hake, in a whole piece1 quantity court-bouillon1 small garlic clove, peeled & finely chopped450g/1lb tinned flageolet beans, rinsed & drained2 large tomatoes, skinned, deseeded & finely chopped2 tsp tarragon vinegar2 tbsp olive oilsalt & pepper1 tbsp capers, drainedextra tarragon leavescayenne (optional)For the mayonnaise:2 egg yolks1 tsp Dijon mustardsalta few dashes of Tabasco sauce2 tsp (or more) caper vinegar150ml/1/4 pint groundnut oil150ml/1/4 pint light olive oil4 tarragon sprigs, leaves only, finely choppedPoach the hake in the court-bouillon, and keep warm. Beat together the egg yolks and the rest of the cream, and add the saffron cream Season.
Loosely fold the crab into the custard, and carefully pour into the tart case. Bake in the oven for 30-40 mins or until set and pale golden brown. Cool, remove the herbs, and spread the sauce in the bottom of the pastry case. Warm together 3 tbsp of the cream with the saffron, and allow to steep for a few minutes. Put the tomatoes, garlic, herbs and seasoning in a saucepan, and reduce to a thickish sauce. Crab works extremely well here, though any other sort of shellfish, or a mixture, can be most successful.1 small tin Italian plum tomatoes, chopped2 garlic cloves, peeled & chopped1 bay leaf1 small thyme sprigsalt & pepper20.5cm/8 inch cooked pastry case300ml/1/2 pint double cream1/2 tsp saffron threads4 egg yolkswhite meat, plus a little of the brown, from a 900g/2lb cooked cock crabPreheat the oven to 350F/180C/Gas Mark 4.
Serve the lentils and salsa verde separately.CRAB TARTThe combination of tomato, garlic and saffron with any shellfish is a good one When set in a rich egg-custard tart, it is sublime. Bring back to the boil, then switch it off and leave for 5 mins Lift out the fish, and do not remove the skin. This is a personal preference, on aesthetic grounds, as I think the fish looks nicer unskinned.To serve, place a portion of fish on each individual plate with a wedge of lemon. Pour a little olive oil over the fish, sprinkle with a pinch of sea salt and a grinding of pepper, and tuck in a couple of sprigs of flat-leaf parsley. Season with salt and pepper.To poach the cod, place it in some lightly salted boiling water.
With the machine running, add the rest of the oil in a thin stream, as if you were making mayonnaise; in fact, the finished sauce should look like coarse, green mayonnaise. Put the herbs, garlic, mustard, anchovies and capers into the food processor with a few tbsp of the oil. Process for a few minutes, occasionally stopping to scrape down what is thrown up against the sides of the bowl. Season now rather than before, as salt added at the beginning of cooking can make the skins tough Keep the lentils warm.Meanwhile, make the salsa verde. I generally use a food processor, but traditionally it is made in a pestle and mortar.
