I love to experiment with food and aside from pizza; ceviche might have the most variations of any dish.  Ceviche is seafood marinated in a citrus based mixture. The acids from the citrus cause the proteins in the seafood to become denatured, which pickles or “cooks” the fish without heat. The number of ceviche variations is mind boggling with just about every Latin American country having a signature mix of ingredients. I arrived at this version while experimenting and the results were very tasty. It’s kind of a mix of both Mexican and Cuban variations. 

Fortunately it is lobster season off the Florida coast so lobster tails are relatively inexpensive for us Floridians. At least for now. But you could easily substitute (or even add) a half pound of sea scallops. Just cut them into 1/2 inch pieces like the rest of the seafood. You might notice that the lobster is absent from the photo. It all got gobbled up before I could take the picture!

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 lb jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 1/2 lb total weight lobster tail meat, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 1 cup fresh orange juice
• 1 naval orange, peeled and remove from membrane (Important!) and cut into 1/2 pieces
• 1/2 cup fresh lime juice
• 2 tablespoons minced red onion
• 1/2 habanero, stemmed, seeded and minced
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
• 1/2 avocado, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

PREPARATION:

1. We are going to jump start the cooking process by poaching the seafood first. Bring a couple of quarts of water to a low boil and poach the shrimp, lobster and scallops (if adding) separately in batches for exactly 30 seconds then quickly move each to a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process. The pieces will still be somewhat translucent. That’s OK because the citrus will do the rest of the work. You can even forgo the poaching but the marinating time should be at least 3 hours and more like 6. Poaching allows me to enjoy this treat sooner.

2. Mix the remaining ingredients (careful with that habanero, use gloves) in a GLASS bowl or container. Do not use a metal bowl as the citrus and the metal may react with one another. Some metals are non-reactive but just play it safe and use glass. I mean we are using lobster meat here, so don’t chance it. Next drain the seafood bits from the ice bath and fold into the citrus mixture. Allow the mixture to marinated for about an hour or so or until the seafood is fully cooked. You can cut into a piece to check.

Serves 4 – 6

Heat Factor

Honestly, the habanero will become milder the longer it marinates.