This superb Costa Rican Ceviche recipe is just a small taste of many more recipes to come soon from our Central American Cuisine page – which is still under construction. Check back soon and often for lots more!

(Photo Attributed to Author: Micah MacAllen)

A seafood staple in the country, Costa Rican ceviche is made with citrus juice-marinated chunks of raw fish or other seafoods. Snapper, sea bass, and other firm white fleshed fish are popular, as well as shrimp, abalone, octopus, abalone, or even sometimes clams and/or squid. Ceviche is available at street vendors and pubs everywhere in Costa Rica, and is shared at family dinners, special occasions and festivals.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. fillets of firm white fish (suggest sea bass, or red snapper)
• 1 small white onion, peeled and rough chopped
• 2 large cloves garlic, peeled and rough chopped
• 1/4 cup cilantro leaves, chopped fine
• 1 Scotch Bonnet chili pepper, either fresh, or dried and rehydrated, chopped fine
• 4 limes
• 1 large orange
• 4 lemons
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• black pepper, to taste
• 1 tomato, cored and sliced, for garnish
• 1 medium-sized red onion
• several leaves of fresh romaine lettuce, for serving

Directions:

1. Wash and clean the fish fillets, and chop into ½” cubes.
2. In a small mixing bowl, combine thoroughly the chili pepper, garlic, white onion, and cilantro.
3. Juice the limes, lemons and orange; strain through a sieve to remove the pulp and seeds.
4. In a larger mixing bowl, place the chopped fish flesh. Add in the chili pepper/garlic/onion/cilantro mixture, and pour the citrus juice over everything. Add in the salt and pepper, to taste.
5. Stir and mix all of the ingredients together thoroughly, cover the bowl, and refrigerate for at least 3 or 4 hours, until well chilled throughout.
6. Just before serving, core and slice the tomato, and peel and rough chop the red onion.
7. To serve your Costa Rican Ceviche, place a few leaves of romaine lettuce on each serving plate; ladle onto the plate a generous mound of the marinated fish; spoon a portion of chopped red onions next to the mound of fish, and garish with some slices of tomato.

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