My brother in law Pepe is one of the best cooks I know. He has been in the restaurant business for years and although he manages restaurants, he has also managed to learn a lot in the kitchen. He talks about opening his own restaurant one day, and I can only hope he fulfills this dream. He is one that experiments and somehow it always turns out delicious. This is a trait of someone who enjoys cooking, wouldn't you agree? (Luckily for me, my husband also has this trait.)
It seems I always eat a lot of seafood when I am in California. (hmm...I wonder why?) Especially ceviche. It is one of my favorite foods. I am not alone here. I know this because I see people are searching for ceviche on google every day and coming to VLC and vivacindy for Ernesto's shrimp ceviche recipe.
When Pepe made this fish ceviche this summer, I knew I had to share it you. I love the way he changes it up with new [to me] ingredients. For example, red pepper? potatoes? Have you ever heard of this? I was surprised. I have hand many kinds of ceviche, but never like this. I was impressed. Truth be told, the potato doesn't add flavor to this ceviche, but I really enjoyed the added texture. Make sure to cube them in small bite size pieces.
Pepe's Fish Ceviche
1 lb fresh sea bass, cubed
1 large yukon gold potato, cubed
1 small red bell pepper, diced
2 habanero chiles, diced (adjust to your taste)
2 small roma tomatoes
1 handful fresh cilantro, chopped
1 small red onion, diced
juice of 8-10 limes
1/4 cup clamato juice
1tsp salt and 1/2 tsp. black pepper
directions: Boil cubed potatoes until al dente (not too soft guys) drain and cool. In a large bowl, combine fish and all vegetables and squeeze the lime juice over top. Add clamato juice, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover with lid and put in refrigerator for at least one hour before eating. Stir ingredients and drain half the liquid. Serve cold with tostadas or chips. Buen provecho!