The Art of Making Ceviche: A Step-by-Step Guide

When it comes to making ceviche, it's essential to understand that marinating the shrimp in fresh citrus juices is not just about tossing them in and waiting for the magic to happen. In fact, most people tend to rush through this process, which can lead to a mealy texture. This is where patience and attention to detail come into play.

The Key to Perfect Ceviche

To avoid the mealy texture, it's crucial to bring the shrimp up slowly and allow them to absorb the flavors of the citrus juices. This means taking the shrimp out of the heat source and letting them cool down before serving. By doing so, you'll not only prevent the shrimp from cooking too much but also ensure that they retain their natural sweetness.

Preparing the Marinade

One of the key ingredients in making a fantastic ceviche marinade is celery. The sweetness it adds to the dish is unparalleled, making it an essential component of this recipe. To incorporate celery into your marinade, simply peel and chop about five or six stalks, then add them to the mix along with some lime juice, orange juice, and other seasonings.

Adding Spice and Flavor

While the citrus juices provide a nice base for the marinade, it's essential to add some spice and flavor to give it that extra oomph. The chef in question recommends adding cumin, black pepper, and cayenne pepper to the mix, which not only adds depth but also a touch of heat.

Par-Cooking the Shrimp

Before adding the shrimp to the marinade, it's crucial to par-cook them slightly. This can be done by cooking the shrimp in salted water for a few minutes before adding them to the citrus juices. By doing so, you'll prevent the shrimp from becoming too mealy and ensure that they retain their natural texture.

The Final Touches

Once the marinade is ready, it's time to add the final touches. This includes chopping cilantro (carefully, of course) and stirring in any additional seasonings. The chef also recommends giving the chef a break by offering them some fantastic Sonoma County wine as a bribe, which adds a touch of humor to the recipe.

Assembling the Dish

With all the ingredients ready, it's time to assemble the dish. This involves taking the shrimp out of the marinade and serving them in a bowl or on a platter. The key is to not overcook the shrimp, as this can make them tough and rubbery. Instead, let them cool down slightly before serving.

A Word from the Chef

The chef's final words of wisdom are simple yet profound: "Gotta love a girl that could eat it." This tongue-in-cheek comment adds a touch of whimsy to the recipe and serves as a reminder to enjoy the process of making ceviche. By following these steps and adding a dash of humor, you'll be well on your way to creating a dish that's sure to impress even the most discerning palates.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enamahi and shrimp ceviche we're talking it's marinated in fresh citrus juices and served with crunchy tortilla strips it's light refreshing it is the perfect starter here's what we have I took some shrimp this is for the ceviche and a lot of times people take the shrimp and they just go ahead and and put this into the Citrus right and what happens is it will cure it it will cook it but not it gets a little mealy when you do it that way this is kind of like making shrimp cocktails so we're going to bring it up slowly and just let it turn a little opaque take it out of the Heat and then it's ready to go and we'll absorb all these great flavors so you're great on the cilantro you want another job yes I do okay you do good I do if you do good soon I will set you up with some fantastic Sonoma County wine okay let me earn it nice bribing uh grab the uh celery over there need about five or six stalks and here's a peeler and you could just take the ribs off of the back of that that's going to come together for this fantastic Ceviche marinade now while she does that I'm just going to cut this about a third of a pound to some one inch pieces that's it break it in half let's I'll even pop the lid up for you huh there you go just don't ask me to get the lid back on there correctly I wait forever so now I've got some lime juice some orange juice I think that's enough celery there's pretty big stocks okay so here's what we've got throw that in there and the great thing about the celery is it's going to add some nice sweetness so we'll let this kind of puree up and good let me grab a bowl all right you want to give me a little Chop on that are you good with the uh the big blade yeah okay okay all right now let me jump over here I'll swing around excellent okay so this mixture comes off into the bowl all right now we're going to add a little bit of spice to it we'll add some cumin actually some black pepper some cuming and going is that the little line you just threw me right no I'm just okay that's perfect you got enough on that okay so look at here the celery we've got the juices I add a little bit of cayenne a little bit of cumin some salt and pepper let's take a look at the shrimp the shrimp is just starting to come up to color okay I'm not going to shock it and put it into an ice bath because then it kind of seizes up okay I'm gonna just drop it in here okay I get shocked when I get put in ice baths too right here okay this is the worst part of my career today let me just get the cilantro out of your hair this is great hey guys I mean there's cilantro but I don't want to grab it okay you know what it's okay I got it there we go I got it all right just give me a rerun of that tape on my teeth all right so we take the shrimp out they're a little bit warm but they're going to cool down when we pop this in the fridge all right now this is not the Super spicy style all right but what you have here is the shrimp have been we par cooked them a little bit remember in the water the salted water so what we're trying to do is make it so they're not so mealy nice and sweet that's the thing normally they get like really oh my gosh this time I'll just put a little okay huh gotta love a girl that could eat itamahi and shrimp ceviche we're talking it's marinated in fresh citrus juices and served with crunchy tortilla strips it's light refreshing it is the perfect starter here's what we have I took some shrimp this is for the ceviche and a lot of times people take the shrimp and they just go ahead and and put this into the Citrus right and what happens is it will cure it it will cook it but not it gets a little mealy when you do it that way this is kind of like making shrimp cocktails so we're going to bring it up slowly and just let it turn a little opaque take it out of the Heat and then it's ready to go and we'll absorb all these great flavors so you're great on the cilantro you want another job yes I do okay you do good I do if you do good soon I will set you up with some fantastic Sonoma County wine okay let me earn it nice bribing uh grab the uh celery over there need about five or six stalks and here's a peeler and you could just take the ribs off of the back of that that's going to come together for this fantastic Ceviche marinade now while she does that I'm just going to cut this about a third of a pound to some one inch pieces that's it break it in half let's I'll even pop the lid up for you huh there you go just don't ask me to get the lid back on there correctly I wait forever so now I've got some lime juice some orange juice I think that's enough celery there's pretty big stocks okay so here's what we've got throw that in there and the great thing about the celery is it's going to add some nice sweetness so we'll let this kind of puree up and good let me grab a bowl all right you want to give me a little Chop on that are you good with the uh the big blade yeah okay okay all right now let me jump over here I'll swing around excellent okay so this mixture comes off into the bowl all right now we're going to add a little bit of spice to it we'll add some cumin actually some black pepper some cuming and going is that the little line you just threw me right no I'm just okay that's perfect you got enough on that okay so look at here the celery we've got the juices I add a little bit of cayenne a little bit of cumin some salt and pepper let's take a look at the shrimp the shrimp is just starting to come up to color okay I'm not going to shock it and put it into an ice bath because then it kind of seizes up okay I'm gonna just drop it in here okay I get shocked when I get put in ice baths too right here okay this is the worst part of my career today let me just get the cilantro out of your hair this is great hey guys I mean there's cilantro but I don't want to grab it okay you know what it's okay I got it there we go I got it all right just give me a rerun of that tape on my teeth all right so we take the shrimp out they're a little bit warm but they're going to cool down when we pop this in the fridge all right now this is not the Super spicy style all right but what you have here is the shrimp have been we par cooked them a little bit remember in the water the salted water so what we're trying to do is make it so they're not so mealy nice and sweet that's the thing normally they get like really oh my gosh this time I'll just put a little okay huh gotta love a girl that could eat it\n"