I posted this (sort of) in the previous post, but since the recipe is so hard to get to (in the link to the original magazine article) we, decided to give this beautiful dish its own post, which it very much deserves (because it is really that good).
Squid Ceviche (Simple Seafood Salad Recipe)
Ceviche is an appetizer in which you may use raw shrimp, snapper, hammour (grouper) scallops, squid, octopus, crab, tuna, salmon, and mahi-mahi. Only very fresh seafood should be used for this dish because it is usually “cooked” with the action of the acid in the lime marinade. In this case, I blanched the squid but there is no need to do so with shrimp, fish and scallops. You may also add diced tomatoes and capsicum (bell peppers) if you so desire. You know us, we like to keep things simple.
Ingredients
1kg fresh squid cut into rings
3tbsp fresh lime juice
1tbsp sunflower or peanut oil
1tbsp white vinegar
3-4 tbsp chopped fresh coriander leaves (or just a big handful)
2 Serrano chillies (one seeded), both minced
Pinch of granulated sugar
1 large red onion, minced
1 clove garlic sliced in two
salt and pepper to taste
Method
In a mixing bowl, thoroughly combine all of the ingredients except the squid. Set aside. Bring a pot of water to boil. Put your colander in the sink and prepare another mixing bowl with an ice bath to the side. Wash squid. When water starts to boil, blanch squid for no more than 1 minute. Remove immediately from heat and pour in colander in sink to get rid of the hot water. Empty the squid immediately in cold bath to stop the cooking process and let cool for 5-10 minutes. Drain in colander. Remove the garlic pieces from marinade. Add squid to marinade and combine put in an airtight container and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Serve as an appetizer in fancy digestive glasses or martini glasses.
CHEF’S NOTE: Serrano chillies may be found in Spinneys, Galerie Lafayette and Lulu’s, Barsha. It has a very distinct balance of heat and flavour so substitution is tricky if you want to remain authentic. You could use other chillies used in Latin American cuisine like jalapenos if in a bind.
Sublime! Your food styling, photography and ideas… I can’t say it enough.
Thank you ever so much. This means a lot!
Looks stunning! I am always worried about my squid being chewy, but this looks so simple 🙂
The squid doesn’t have to be blanched if it is 100% fresh and kept at the right temperature from catch to prep and you are not particular. The acid cooks it. We just wanted to add a little more precaution because we understand food safety issues and wanted to take added precaution.
How many servings does the recipe allow? Thank you.
It depends on how much you serve but I think you can get about 12-15 servings of the size displayed (a small amount in a shot glass as an appetiser)
We live in Japan and often fish for squid right in front of our house. We are always running out of ways to prepare them. Thank you so much for this recipe! We will definitely be trying it out!
Yummy!
Still one of our go to party favourites and always a crowd pleaser. The best part is that you can make it ahead of time!
Important! Don’t over-marinate the squid. The acid in the lime juice and vinegar will make the squid tough if it’s in the marinade too long. I usually marinate 15-20 minutes. An hour should be the maximum.
ABSOLUTELY! Unlike other seafood used in ceviche, which can be kept in the marinade overnight in most cases, squid absolutely should not be kept in there any longer than an hour or it will become hard as a rubber ball. If making a mixed seafood ceviche, add the squid toward the end.
Im using this for a Valentines Appetizer, do you recommend keeping a little marinade in the glass with it?
Yes you very well could for the taste but the presentation looks better without if you are serving in a clear glass.
There’s no reason to “stay authentic” when it comes to ceviche, since every Latin country has a different recipe for it and a different way of serving it. Cuban ceviche doesn’t even use peppers at all. It uses diced tomatoes. (Traditional Cuban food does not use any spicy heat. If you ever see spicy Cuban food, it’s either fusion or inauthentic.) Ceviche is truly an area where you can go buck wild and no one can say anything. As long as it has the core ingredients of seafood+onion “cooked” in lime juice, it’s authentic ceviche. Heck, Peruvian ceviche includes corn and sweet potato! And barely any cilantro, sometimes none at all.