RECIPE OF THE WEEK: Almost Raw Fish

By TAKU

I love to eat sashimi. I could probably eat it every day and never get sick of it. But it wasn’t always that way. Years ago a friend and mentor tried to turn me on to sushi. Well. I’ll tell you I was not having it. Raw fish!? No F~!@# way!

A year or so later I got a job at a Creole restaurant. The head Chef decided I should be an oyster shucker. He taught me the technique and I started opening clams and oysters as my full time job. At peak time I probably opened at least 300 raw shell fish a night. Well, after a few months of this…I got curious and decided to try some of these slimy, gooey looking things. What can I say; it was love at first bite. Once I tried raw oysters, sushi didn’t seem like a bad idea so I dove right in. I have never looked back.

For a lot of you I am probably preaching to the choir, but I know there are still some who feel the idea of raw fish is just too hard to swallow (pun intended). I am going to share with you one of my favorite foods of all time. I call it Almost Raw Fish. However, most of the world calls it Ceviche.

Many of you may find (as I have) that Almost Raw Fish actually tastes better than the cooked version. Check out my simple recipe below.

Crush up the Garlic, chop the Onion and set aside. Cut the fish up into small strips or cubes (about 1 inch each). Throw them into a mixing bowl. Squeeze the lemons, limes or both into the bowl. You may need more or less depending on how much fish you use. Basically you want enough so the fish is fully covered. Mix in the garlic, chopped onion and sea salt.

Add peppers if you got em. Now place the mixture into your fridge overnight or for at least 4 hrs. When you come back to it the fish will have turned white. This is because the enzymes in the citrus juice have ‘cooked’ it for you. Now, chop the tomato and avocado into very small pieces and mix with the fish.

Serve chilled and enjoy.

Your assignment, should you choose to accept it, is to make yourself some Almost Raw Fish this week. Follow my recipe for starters (it can also be done with shrimp by the way). Another option is to check around and see if there are any South American restaurants in your area that feature Almost Raw Fish (Ceviche). Either way, once you have tried this stuff, I think you may find that you quickly become a convert.

TAKU's NOTE: There are literally hundreds of different Ceviche recipes around, and after you experiment with this one, I encourage you to get creative and make up some of your own. Almost Raw Fish not only tastes great but it provides a simple and delicious way to pack your personal eating plan with high quality protein.

P.S. After you go home and make yourself some Almost Raw Fish, shoot us an email and be sure to let me know what you think.