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Pomelo Ceviche
This ceviche brings in a citrus fruit often ignored- the Pomelo. I was actually anti-pomelo, because I thought it was one of those weird hybrid fruits, like the tangelo and the pluot. But when researching grapefruits for our Cold Care episode, I discovered that Grapefruits are actually weird hybrids of pomelos and oranges. Fancy that. So I decided that I would make a ceviche with Pomelo. And I would love it. And so I did. After all of this time ignoring the 1 kilo citrus giants, I have fallen in love. I hope you do too.
For 1 side of a medium snapper you will need approximately:
1 cup of a combination of freshly squeezed lime juice, lemon juice, and orange juice
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 pomelo
1/2 tsp. pomelo zest
1 or 2 more limes
1 serrano chile, halved lengthwise and then in thin pieces
¼ cup red onion, sliced paper-thin
1 pomelo
Small handful cilantro
Rinse the snapper with water and pat dry. Using a sharp fish filet knife, slice it into thin strips and place in a non-reactive container. Pour over the citrus juice and toss in the garlic. Let the fish “cook” in the citrus juices for 2-4 hours in the fridge.
Peel the pomelo with a sharp knife, removing all of the white pith. Use a small knife to remove the fruit sections.
Soak the red onion in a small bowl of water for 10 minutes to remove its sharpness.
Take the fish out of the fridge, drain it of the citrus marinade, and toss with the juice of the limes, Serrano chile, red onion, pomelo pieces and zest, and a real good shaking of salt. Roughly tear up the cilantro, toss, and serve.
Serves 6 as a party appetizer.
Goes well with chips or toasted pita.
Related Recipes
South Beach Fish Sandwich
Today I finally made the Snapper Fish Sandwich that I have been dreaming about. Unfortunately, I had written a very long post just now, only to find that I closed the tab by accident before I could publish. Serves me right for not writing it in Word first. Ugggh. Here I go again!
I have been wanting to make this sandwich for quite some time now. In South Beach, sandwiches are everywhere. So when I was looking at different dishes to come up with as part of my collection, I knew that I would have to do a sandwich. Not only are there sandwich joints everywhere you turn, but most high-end places also offer them on their menus. Don’t forget that this is the land of the Media Noche and Cuban Sandwich. I wanted to do a fish sandwich, because there are so many fun types of fish here. I love mahi mahi, snapper, grouper, king fish, tuna, etc. How could I not make a fish sandwich?
I was inspired by the healthy Mediterranean/Middle Eastern vibe that exists here. There is a great healthy Turkish restaurant on Lincoln Road called Pasha’s, as well as several other smaller places along Collins. They are just enough to balance out the myriad Cuban and Italian places that are everywhere you turn. I thought a tahini sauce with plenty of lemon juice and fresh herbs would go great on top of fresh fish. As a garnish, I simply use chopped up tomatoes, cucumbers, and olives. The bread is a pita. It needs to be really nicely toasted in order to hold the soft-flaky fish, but its great. The heavier the pita, the better the sandwich.
I love fish sandwiches, but don’t like how more often than not they are deep- fried. I save that indulgence for Fish and Chips in London and New England in the Summer. For South Beach, I opt for the baked, flaky fish that is lighter and healthier. In order to buy extra-fresh fish, head over to the Rickenbacker Causeway, which leads you over to Key Biscayne. Every day at around 4 pm, the fishermen come in from their excursions with plenty of their fresh catches for you to buy. I would have gotten mahi mahi if they had had it, but I was happy with my snapper, because I was able to buy enough to work on my ceviche, which you will see tomorrow!
I am sure that I will come up with some more fun sandwich options, but this was my first venture!
Whole Foods Disappoints Once Again
One would think that being in Florida, I would be swimming in fresh local produce. Not quite. It has been difficult for me to find local products to use in my recipes. There are a few farms that sell at Farmers Markets, but even then they are selling their produce next to people selling mangoes from Ecuador and berries from Chile.
I was hoping that Whole Foods would have a variety of local produce to sell, considering their commitment to providing organic and natural products, and support of local farmers. However, I can barely tell the difference between buying at Whole Foods or buying at the local Publix or Epicure markets. There are a few oranges and grapefruits from a farm in northern Florida, but everything else is from countries like Ecuador, Mexico, and Argentina. The most startling item that I saw was Thai Coconuts. I pass by coconut sellers on the streets and beaches around here all the time, so why in Whole Foods are they importing them from Thailand?
The fish department is even more disappointing. I know that local restaurants have plenty of local fish on their menus, but at Whole Foods I have not seen any of it. One day I asked the fish monger for something local, and out of a full case of fish, there was only pompano that was local. There was plenty of farmed Atlantic salmon, but no local grouper, snapper, tuna, cobia-NOTHING. Another time I asked for some local fish and the woman told me that the halibut was local, from Massachusetts. Really?
I am lucky that I can work from home and go out of my way to find fisherman to sell me some of their fresh catches, but I want to know what options the other customers have in supporting their communities.
The BubbleQ at the South Beach Wine & Food Festival
My favorite stand of the night was that of Claude Troisgros, chef of the Blue Door restaurant at the Delano. He pioneered French-Brazilian fusion cooking, and prepared duck with a sugar cane caramel sauce over taro puree. It was amazing. I would venture to say it was in the top 20 best things I have ever eaten. I had seconds, and would have gone for thirds if I had not been whisked away to the next booth. The taro puree made the evening. But maybe that is because I love my tubers. My other favorite of the night was by Ilan Hall, winner of Season 2 of Top Chef. He had a fried chicken skin sandwich on rye bread. I abhor rye bread, but somehow the fatty chicken skin balanced it out, because it was absolutely delicious. Tom Colicchio was also there, of course, serving pulled pork sandwiches and ribs. They were awesome. Even more awesome was the photo op we got with him.
I was tried my best to not be a complete and total glutton, though quite unsuccesfully. Did I mention the Godiva Lounge? Enough said.
Dinner Live Right Now!
I am here in Miami cooking dinner live! Watch us as we prepare and enjoy Taco Night!
Black Bean Hummus
It has been long overdue, but I finally posted my Black Bean Hummus recipe. I had blogged about it last May, after having made it for our Cinco de Mayo Book Club meeting, but without the recipe. I am sorry that it has taken me this long to do it!
I was finally inspired to make it here in Miami as one of my South Beach recipes. They have this Latin version of the Lebanese dip on a lot of menus down here, as it is a popular healthy appetizer. I have seen a lot of Mediterranean fusion down here, and Black Bean Hummus seems like on of the most obvious dishes to translate. What I love about the way it is served around town is that it is always accompanied by lots of freshly chopped vegetables, like carrots and tomatoes. It looks like a healthy party on a plate. I am going to bring this to our Taco Night dinner party tonight and see what the critics say!
Forbidden Rice for Breakfast
The idea behind the past two recipes I have posted on the blog is to use one ingredient in a variety of different ways. You can save money on ingredients by knowing how to cook once and eat twice. Since I live alone and eat by myself often, I need to know how to stretch ingredients from one meal to the next. In this case, I made a Forbidden Rice Salad with Shrimp, Papaya, and Avocado the other day for lunch and then made it double up as a healthy breakfast alternative the next day.
For the breakfast dish, I heated up the leftover cooked rice with a splash of water, then once it was reheated I added coconut water. I then topped with sliced banana and a sprinkle of cinnamon. This is a great breakfast, because the rice is an unrefined carbohydrate full of fiber and antioxidants. It fills you up for the whole morning, giving you sustained energy to last until lunch. Coconut water is an incredibly healthy food- it is a great source of electrolytes and full of potassium. I heated up the rice with water, and then added the coconut water afterward, so as not to heat it and harm its nutritional properties. The banana was just for taste- coconuts and bananas are made for each other!
Forbidden Rice, Shrimp, and Papaya Salad
This Forbidden Rice Salad is full of antioxidants and beautiful colors. I love Forbidden Rice. Not only is its color intriguing, but it is incredibly healthy as well. Black rice is rich in anti-oxidants, giving it much more nutritional value than regular white rice. You can find Lotus Foods brand Forbidden Rice in the organic section of supermarkets. Its color asks to be paired with anything bright, which is why I chose papaya. Since I am in Florida, I found some local Key West wild caught shrimp.
1 cup Forbidden Rice (we will use leftovers soon)
1 1/3 cup water
1 clove garlic, finely minced
6 Key West wild caught shrimp, peeled and rinsed
1 scallion, outer layer removed, and finely chopped from top to bottom
1 lime
Small handful cilantro
About ¼ cup ripe papaya, peeled and seeded
¼ Hass avocado
Salt and pepper
Sesame oil or Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Cook the rice by placing in a pot covered with the water. Add a pinch of salt and bring to a boil. Once it boils, lower the heat to a simmer and cover. It should take about 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, season the shrimp and then sauté in some olive oil. Add the minced garlic when the shrimp has almost cooked through and stir. The shrimp should cook in about 3 minutes. They will turn pink and curl up slightly.
Separately, mix together the juice of the lime and a little bit of olive oil, and stir in the scallions. Mix this dressing with about half the rice. Save the rest of the rice for an upcoming recipe.
Cube the papaya and avocado to about roughly the same size and toss into the rice mixture. Season with some salt and add a drizzle of sesame oil if you have it.
You can use cabbage leaves or any other large veg leaf to hold the salad on the plate. Top with the cooked shrimp.
Serves 2.
Miami Dispatch: Healthy Nut and Seed Bowl
I am in Miami for the next month or so, and am going to be exploring as many raw and local foods during my stay as possible. Months back I had written about the Banana Nut and Seed Bowl at the Pain Quotidien. They no longer serve the dish, which I was addicted to last Spring. Apparently I was the only one who ever ordered it.
Anyway, since arriving in Miami I have been making my own rendition of the dish. I have simplified the ingredients, which helps the budget a little bit. I use pumpkin seeds as my main ingredient, either raw or soaked. Soaking them makes their protein more readily available, as well as awakens their dormant enzymes. I then add some sesame and flax seeds to the mix. Since now is the growing season in South Florida I have papaya and blueberries available to add to my dish. I also love it with bananas. It is super satisfying and delicious, and I am really energized when I eat it. I also do not get hungry until lunch time.
I posted the recipe for my Breakfast Nut and Seed Bowl and hope that everyone gives it a try.
Marmalade Madness
November 2008: I discover I like marmalade while staying at the Arizona Inn in Tucson. They have a house-made marmalade that for some reason I dollop onto my oatmeal. It is delicious. Until this point marmalade was always my last-resort preserve.
January 2009: I make marmalade for the first time and still like it.
Later January 2009: Sophia's grandmother makes delicious marmalade out of these tiny bitter oranges.
February 2009: I start getting fancy with my marmalade. The latest batch has pink grapefruit, oranges and rose water in it. My aunt who also does not like marmalade says that it's good.
This is how to do it:
Quarter and soak desired citrus in water overnight (I used 1 large pink grapefruit and small cara cara oranges). Take out seeds, and shred with a cheese grater or food processor. Cook mixture with desired amount of sugar (I used about a cup). Cook the mixture down for about 20 minutes. Towards the end splash some rose water into it.
Disclaimer: in the photo you may see small dark dots, they are peppercorns and do nothing for taste.
Photo courtesy of James Board
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