Tostadas with kingfish ceviche and chipotle mayonnaise
In summer, a little less cooking can be a fine cure. That’s what makes ceviche such a useful dish to have up your sleeve.
Summer, at last! It’s the time of year when entertaining heads outside, and cooking is less about heat and more about assembly. That’s what makes ceviche such a useful dish to have up your sleeve. You’re still “cooking” the seafood, but its proteins are denatured (softened) through acid rather than heat. Once you get the hang of using this process, you can adapt to use lemon rather than lime, or a different kind of fish, such as salmon – whatever floats your boat!
Kingfish ceviche
Chipotle mayonnaise
To make the chipotle mayonnaise, mix the mayonnaise, chopped adobo chilli and lime zest and juice. Taste and correct for seasoning, then set aside until ready to serve.
Thirty minutes before your guests arrive, toss the kingfish cubes in half the lime juice in a medium bowl, and place back into the fridge to keep chilled. When ready to serve, pour off excess lime juice and reserve (this is called leche de tigre – “tiger’s milk” – and is delicious as a shooter or shaken over ice with some quality tequila). Pour the remaining fresh lime juice over the ceviche, then add the tomatoes, lychees, onion and half the coriander, plus a splash of extra-virgin olive oil. Toss it all together; check seasoning and adjust if necessary.
When ready to serve, place the ceviche, chipotle mayo and tortilla chips onto the table along with the avocado, hot sauce and any leftover limes sliced into wedges.
Top tips
- You can buy tortilla chips at the supermarket but good quality salted corn chips will do the trick – they’re tortilla chips by another name. If you’d prefer to make your own tortilla chips as tostada shells, grab a pack of medium (15cm) tortillas, heat 1cm of oil in a wide-based pan to 180C, then fry until golden. Drain, sprinkle with salt flakes, allow to cool, then serve as is, or break into smaller pieces if you’d prefer.
- Tinned lychees are great for this recipe if you can’t get fresh. Use any leftovers to make a lychee margarita, or let them infuse in the base of a big jug of sparkling water.
- Chipotle chillis are smoky and savoury – they’re what give Mexican dishes like this one their unique flavour. Once the tin is opened, transfer them to a resealable container and you can use them in any other Mexican dishes for years after. If you can’t find the tinned chipotle chilli, use a tablespoon of chipotle chilli paste – it’s available at many supermarkets and at specialty food stores.