While we’re stretching out the last few weeks of summer around here, I thought I would invite my good friends Tim & Laura Sullivan to do a little post for you guys as a teaser of their upcoming trip to Mexico. These two lovely souls (along with team that includes Chef Greg who whipped together this recipe) host amazing cultural retreats around the world, and this October they are heading to the Yucatán Peninsula for their ‘Moveable Feast’. I’ll let them take it from here…
The Yucatàn is such a lovely little corner of this world, particularly thanks to its distinct palate. The local cuisine draws flavor influences from not only the local Mayan and Mexican cuisines, but also borrows ingredients from the Caribbean, North Africa, and Europe. The philosophy of local, slow food is more applicable here than almost anywhere else I know: being so far removed from the rest of Mexico means food absolutely must be local and hyper fresh. Think farm to table (or should I say granja a mesa?).
The beautiful peninsula is renowned across the world for its incredible citrus. Tangerines, sour oranges, grapefruit, sweet oranges, limes, you name it, they got it, and boy is it good. Adventure off the main road and you never know when you’ll end up in an orange orchard. Grapefruit has always been a favorite of mine, winter or summer. I love the flavor it brings to sorbets, salads and seafood. Here, I marry grapefruit and two different chilies to create a ceviche that packs a refreshing punch for summer.
Take me to the Yucatán already!
-Greg
Prawn & Grapefruit Ceviche // makes 5 – 7 tostadas // 30 min prep – 3 hrs total
- 1 pound large prawns, frozen or extremely fresh
- 1 cup fresh lime juice (about 12 limes)
Ceviche Sauce
- 1 cup fresh grapefruit juice (freshly squeezed if possible)
- 1 dried whole guajillo chili
- 1 dried whole chili de arbol
- 1/2 Tbsp fresh peeled and grated ginger
- 1 Tbsp agave syrup (can substitute honey)
- 1/2 Tbsp sea salt
Pickled Onions
- 1 cup red wine vinegar
- 1 red onion, peeled and julienned
Garnishes
- 1 bunch of cilantro, washed thoroughly
- 1 large cucumber, peeled
- 1 avocado
- 1 serrano chili, sliced paper thin (optional)
- Mayonnaise
- Tostadas
Special Equipment Needed
- Blender
- Fine mesh strainer
- Lime or lemon press
For the Prawns: Cut limes in half and juice. Refrigerate the juice and discard the rinds.
Peel and remove all the shells/legs/tails from the prawns. Cut the prawns into thirds (about the size of the tip of your pinky). In a non metal container, cover the prawns completely in lime juice and then refrigerate for a minimum of 3 hrs.
Ceviche Sauce: A really useful trick to easily peel your ginger is to take a spoon and simply scrape the skin off into a bowl. No more trying to trim the ginger with a knife for 5 minutes! Combine all sauce ingredients into a blender and mix on high for 1 minute. Strain the liquid twice through a strainer, discarding the solids. Refrigerate.
Pickled Onions: Peel and julienne the red onion, discarding any pieces that aren’t uniform or pieces that are too thick. Bring the red wine vinegar to a boil, and pour over the onions in a non reactive bowl. Let the onions soak for 30 min, then transfer to the fridge. (These pickles will keep for a month in the fridge – great on sandwiches!)
When all the preparations are ready, strain the prawns from the lime juice, discarding the juice. In a medium size bowl, combine the prawns, the sauce, cucumbers, several big pinches of cilantro and a big pinch of sea salt and mix thoroughly. Spread a thin amount of mayo over the tostada (about a half a tablespoon at most). Using a slotted spoon, strain the ceviche mixture and spoon onto the tostada. To garnish, top with a few pickled onions, a few thin slices of avocado and a few cilantro leaves. Enjoy!
Want more? Join Greg and the Moveable Feast team of designers, photographers, and creatives deep in the jungles of Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula this autumn! There are still two rooms left in our 200 year old hacienda– we’ll be sampling flavors from all over the peninsula, swimming in private pools, drinking plenty of mezcal margaritas and diving into secret Mayan cenotes (The Mayan heat-busting strategy that’s been around for thousands of years). Only a couple of spots are left for this curated experience, and we’re saving one for you– see you in the Yucatan!
