I made this recipe with fresh grouper on one of my first trips to Mexico.
I was on the beach, and a fisherman pulled his boat to shore. I looked in to see his catch. He became my daily friend. I had grouper that day and lobster the next. It was my personal floating fish market and the highlight of my vacation.
Ingredients
- ½ pound fresh striped bass cut into ¼-inch cubes to make about 1½ cups
- ¾ cup freshly squeezed lime juice
- 1 teaspoon lime zest
- 1 small red onion, finely minced
- 6 to 8 colorful grape tomatoes, chopped
- 1 red hot pepper or serrano chili, finely minced
- 1/3 cup chopped cilantro
- 1 avocado cut into small pieces (optional)
- Coarse salt to taste
- Tortilla chips for serving (see sidebar)
Preparation
In a glass bowl, combine the fish and the lime juice. cover, and refrigerate for 1 hour until the fish becomes opaque and cooked, stirring once or twice. Drain the fish into a colander and return it to the bowl. Stir in the onions, tomatoes, pepper, cilantro and optional avocado. Mix well and return to the refrigerator for 30 minutes to allow flavors to blend.
About this recipe
John F. Carafoli is an international food stylist, consultant, and author. He wrote the seminal book Food Photography and Styling; Cape Cod Chef’s Table, Recipes from Buzzards Bay to Provincetown; and Great Italian American Food in New England: History, Traditions & Memories. He has been published in Gastronomica, The Journal of Food and Culture, The New York Times, L’italo-Americano Italian Newspaper, and Edible Cape Cod, where he won an EDDY for best use of recipes in a feature. He was profiled in the Italian publication ER (Emilia Romagna) and presented papers at the Oxford Symposium on Food and Cookery in England. carafoli.com
