Halibut Ceviche and The Curious Case of The Missing Shopping Cart
This Halibut Ceviche with Summer Sweet Corn and Cherry Tomatoes is so delicious and super easy to make! Healthy, packed with protein, and naturally gluten-free, you’ll make this again and again!
This month’s Recipe ReDux theme, “Your Most Memorable Vacation Meal” threw me for a bit of a loop, but in a good way.
Good, as in it inspired me to go back through oodles of vacation photos and relive wonderful memories with family and friends.
Other than a long weekend trip to San Francisco in July, and an overnight camping trip to Idyllwild with friends in June, this summer has been pretty mellow vacation-wise.
Fortunately, my fellow ReDuxers and I weren’t required to choose a favorite foodie memory from this summer, so I traveled back a couple of years to an amazing trip Mr. Spicy and I took with our friends…
Punta de Mita, Mexico, sans children 🙂
So many wonderful foodie memories from that trip-fresh melon Aguas Frescas every afternoon…vats of chunky guacamole…cheese quesadillas made from handmade corn tortillas served mountainside after our mule ride/zip line/repelling adventure.
It’s hard to choose just one, but the most memorable meal that stands out from that vacation is the spicy halibut ceviche served beachside with crispy tortilla chips, and the strongest margaritas you’ll ever drink.
Really, it doesn’t get much better than that, and since I have only dreamed about making halibut ceviche since then, thanks to this months Recipe ReDux, I finally got my chance.
Nutrition Notes…
- Halibut Ceviche is super healthy to begin with, so it’s hard to make it healthier, a la ReDux style. I opted to use the freshest, in-season ingredients I could find, including Pacific Halibut {U.S. Wild-Caught} which is a good choice according to theMonterey Bay Seafood Watch App I have on my phone. You may also choose to use another firm white sustainable fish such as mahi mahi {US Atlantic troll/pole } or others.
- Ceviche and corn tortilla chips are both naturally gluten-free. Choose organic corn/chips, or look for the Non-GMO Project Verified Seal, if you are choosing to avoid GMOs.
As for that missing shopping cart, it was a very curious thing indeed…
I visited a new Whole Foods in Encinitas, to buy my fish and other ingredients for the ceviche. First things first, as I always do when I go to the grocery store, I loaded my cart with lots of fresh in-season produce. Then, I parked my cart and meandered over to the nearby fish counter to chose my halibut. After a nice chat with the friendly fishmonger, I headed back to get my cart, and lo and behold, it was gone.
Now, I’ve had this happen to me before when my shopping cart has been empty, but never when it was full of delicious fruits and veggies.
I circled around the produce area several times to see if I could find my cart. Nope. So, I set out through the entire store {luckily it was a small Whole Foods} in search of the thief my cart.
Two trips through the entire store later, there was no shopping cart to be found.
I seriously started imagining that I would end up on a Whole Foods Funniest Grocery Store episode on YouTube later in the evening.
And that, my friends, is the curious case of the missing shopping cart.
Halibut Ceviche with Summer Sweet Corn and Cherry Tomatoes
Ingredients
- 1 pound fresh halibut or other firm white fish, cut in to 1/2-inch pieces
- 1/2 cup lime juice, fresh squeezed
- 1/2 cup lemon juice, fresh squeezed
- 1 serrano chili, deseeded and finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon salt
- fresh raw corn kernels, shucked from 2 ears of corn
- 1 cup red onion, chopped
- 1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes, chopped
- 1 cup cilantro, chopped loosely packed
- 1 bag of tortilla chips
Instructions
- Combine halibut, lime and lemon juice, serrano chili, and salt in a non-reactive pan. Mix well, making sure all the fish is covered with the juices.
- Place in refrigerator for 30 minutes to chill, then add corn, onion, and cherry tomatoes and chill for at least another 1 1/2 hours.
- Stir in cilantro and serve with tortilla chips.
LOVE ceviche and yours looks fabulous! I have been meaning to make some lately and must do it before it turns fall here! I am so sorry to hear about your crummy week! I guess the only positive is that it came before the craziness of the back-to-school schedule. Hope you are all back to normal!
I love your recipe and memory because it reminds me of a ceviche I had on a trip with friends to Cabo (ahh, pre-kid days.) One of the resort bartenders friended us (umm, how much did we drink that week?) and on the last day of the trip brought us his homemade ceviche – I forget what type of fish but it was absolutely amazing and your post brought back such fun memories. And now I have a great recipe to work off of – which I will need to make with a margarita in hand, too.
P.S. On the rare days I’m shopping without my daughter in the cart, I’ve been known to take a stranger’s cart down a few aisles before realizing my mistake….this has happened more than once.
I haven’t blogged or anything for 3 weeks and have been to 4 doctors. I have something…for sure. I feel your pain and I am singing your tune. I am hoping to make my come back soon too!! My son is 20 and I feel like my job is WAY far from done!! Rest well, enjoy those take-outs and cuddle time!!!
As soon as I have this baby…in one month…I’m making this WITH margaritas! I love your story from the beach…and the beachside photo. Happy thoughts! Now, shall I admit the last time I was in Target my kids started yelling…”Mom, that’s not our cart!” They were right!
I’ve heard of food envy but this is outright theft. Is it possible someone didn’t realize it wasn’t their cart, checked out and that you’ve now vegetabled an entire family? Love travel food memories.
Your recipe looks great & I love your food story … You’ve been nominated for my Food Stories Award (just click on Food Stories Award at the top of my site) … Have a great Sunday 🙂
Seattle has experienced an extremely cool summer, your pictures of Mexico look like heaven! I wonder if an employee put your fruits and veggies back. That’s really bizarre! I need to make your ceviche – maybe it will put me in a summer mood – sun or no sun. 🙂
Your ceviche is gorgeous. Love the addition of two other summer staples – corn and tomatoes! Your Mexican vacation sounds wonderful.
Oh I love love love ceviche! So refreshing, light, and healthy! Perfect during these suffocating Texas summer months! Thank you for sharing! This theme (my first one) was really fun! I had so much fun going down the memory lane 😉
I am ashamed to admit I have never had ceviche. I am also afraid to admit I am afraid I have no really fresh fish within my purchasing area.
This looks refreshing, healthy and very easy. I would really love to try this recipe. I have seen cooked fish marinaded in a ceviche marinade to taste just as good as the original. Do you think I could get away with that?
Definitely making this, EA! I’ve always wanted to try ceviche and never had the nerve. So many things I have tried just because of you. 😉
And yes, perfect with my margarita.
I wish I can have some right now…it’s making me hungry looking at your beautiful dish…and it’s not even quite 10:00 a.m. I’ve never made ceviche and now you’ve inspired me!
This ceviche looks wonderful! I’ve never even considered making ceviche at home, but what a great idea it is. And how funny about the grocery cart – apparently someone really loved your taste in fresh produce, ha!
This month was too crazy for me to get in on the Redux action, but I love your recipe (and how curious about the shopping cart!). Can’t wait to make this! I love ceviche but have never tried it at home. Now I am inspired!
Re: that missing shopping cart, maybe you inadvertently counseled someone on eating more produce. They saw all yours & decided to take it home themselves!
I think this is one of my favorite challenges so far. It is always so much fun looking back at vacation memories.
I agree with you that nothing is better than ceviche, tortilla chips, and a strong margarita. 😉
This looks fabulous!! I have never made ceviche at home and only ordered it out a handful of times. I need to change that.
Don’t you just love traveling down memory lane and rediscovering something special like this ceviche – love this! I’ve had my shopping cart disappear in the supermarket a couple of times.
I love ceviche and this looks so refreshing and delicious! Love the use of seasonal ingredients – what’s better than corn and cherry tomatoes?!