Ceviche with buttermilk dressing and rhubarb, chilli and fennel pickle

Name: Ceviche with buttermilk dressing and rhubarb, chilli and fennel pickle
Cook time: 30 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Modern Australian
Ingredients: 500g sashimi-grade white fish (such as snapper or kingfish); 2 Lebanese cucumbers; 3 finger limes; rye toast, to serve

Karen Martini

December 8, 2023

This white fish ceviche has style and substance.William Meppem

easyTime:< 30 minsServes:4

The refreshing flavours of this ceviche are ideal for the hotter months of the year, and it’s a perfect starter for entertaining. The texture and mouthfeel of the fish are luxurious since I cut it a little thicker and quickly doused it with the dressing before plating. Add in the spicy rhubarb pickle and the finger lime “caviar”, and you have something that’s both delicious and very pretty.

The buttermilk dressing can also be used for salad leaves or as a sauce for barbecued … well, anything, really. Chardonnay vinegar, with its rounded flavour profile, is lovely in this, but you could also use another white wine vinegar.

Ingredients

500g sashimi-grade white fish (such as snapper or kingfish)
2 Lebanese cucumbers
3 finger limes
rye toast, to serve

FOR THE RHUBARB, CHILLI AND FENNEL PICKLE

100ml water
100ml chardonnay vinegar
3 tbsp caster sugar
1 tbsp fennel seeds
pinch of salt flakes
1 large stalk of rhubarb, cut in three lengthways, then diced
2 long red chillies, seeds discarded, finely diced

FOR THE BUTTERMILK DRESSING

2 large eschalots (French shallots), finely diced
200ml buttermilk
130ml extra virgin olive oil, plus extra to serve
2 tbsp chardonnay vinegar
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1½ tbsp caster sugar
1 tsp salt flakes
freshly ground black pepper

Method

Step 1
For the pickle, add the water, vinegar, sugar, fennel seeds and salt to a small saucepan over medium heat and simmer for 1 minute. Take off the heat and cool for 20 minutes, then add the rhubarb and chillies. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours but preferably overnight. The pickle will keep for about a week in the fridge.
Step 2
Chill a large serving platter.
Step 3
To make the buttermilk dressing, combine all the ingredients in a medium bowl and season with pepper. Stand for 5 minutes before using; it will keep for a day refrigerated.
Step 4
Slice the fish across the grain into slices 5mm-6mm thick. Place in a bowl with 2 tablespoons of the dressing and stand for 5 minutes.
Step 5
Peel the cucumber and slice into 3mm-thick rounds. Spread over the chilled platter and season with salt, then drape the fish unevenly over the cucumber, discarding any marinating dressing in the bowl.
Step 6
Spoon over the remaining dressing to flood the plate, and scatter the pickle over the top. Split the finger limes and squeeze the lime pearls out over the top. Finish with a little drizzle of oil and serve with well-toasted rye bread.