Cool Summer Treats
GO FISH!
COOL, COLOURFUL AND SUMMER TASTY – ENJOY THE BOUNTIES OF SALISH SEA hen the weather is hot, and you want to serve fresh B.C. fish in an appetizing way, don’t loose your cool, and don’t turn on your stove. You won’t have to if you make ceviche or gravlax — dishes that now have global appeal that originated in two very different parts of the world. Ceviche, pronounced “seh-VEE-chay” and also spelled seviche, is a Latin American dish enjoyed in places such as Peru, Mexico and Ecuador. Soaking raw fish or seafood in a marinade that’s primarily citrus juice is how it’s made. The acid in the juice “cooks” the fish, turning it opaque and firming it up until pleasing in texture. In my recipe for ceviche, I used rockfish fillets, which is also called Pacific snapper. That’s the market name for several species of rockfish commercially harvested off Vancouver Island. You will find rockfish at most supermarkets and seafood stores.
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62 | Capital HOME SUMMER 2018
I cubed that fish and to make my ceviche first marinated it in a lime-juice mixture spiked with tequila and agave syrup, which is made from the agave tequiliana (tequila) plant. Once that process was done, most of the lime-juice mixture was drained away. I then tossed the fish with such things as avocado, cherry tomatoes, shallot, cilantro and olive oil. The end result is a cool, colourful and very tasty fish dish that you can serve as an appetizer, or even a light lunch, on a warm day, perhaps while sipping a margarita. Curing salmon fillet with salt, spices, sugar, dill and sometimes alcohol is how the Scandinavian-in-origin dish, gravlax, also spelled gravlaks, is made. I used bright-red, readilyavailable-in-summer, B.C. sockeye salmon to make my gravlax. And I did decide that I would also flavour it with alcohol, Vancouver Islandmade vodka.
After the fish is coated with the curing ingredients, it’s covered, weighted and refrigerated two to three days. During that process the fish is turned occasionally, it absorbs and is flavoured by the curing ingredients, and it firms up. When ready, like cold-smoked salmon or lox, it becomes something that’s quite delicious that you can thinly slice and serve with rye bread, mustard dill sauce and other accents. When making ceviche and gravlax, make sure the fish is very fresh, smells sweet and sea-like, and has firm flesh that glistens. Do not use fish that smells overly fishy, looks dull, soft or is falling apart to make ceviche or gravlax, or it will also have those undesired qualities. To find the freshest fish, shop at places that sell a lot of it, ensuring there’s always a fresh, new supply arriving each day.