Tuna Ceviche with Coconut and Soy

Am I the only one who has somehow stayed away from serving seafood raw? Don’t get me wrong, I love eating sushi in Japanese restaurants. And these days, most supermarkets have a sushi counter where packaged raw, or mostly raw, seafood are sold in volume. I have purchased my fair share of these pre-packaged sushi and sashimi.

Try to think about it, all I need is a little nudge from someone, who is in the know, to get me out of my comfort zone. Some hand holding of sorts, to help get me over the hump. I’ve found that in Curtis Stone, IHCC’s current featured chef.

Sushi-grade tuna is available at the local farmers’ market. According to the fishermen, their catch comes from miles off the Atlantic coast and the tuna is not previously frozen. Hurray! The tuna I got was gleaming with freshness and succulence. I figured how badly can I possibly screw up getting to the finished plate as long as I left the tuna alone, more or less. In this case, less is more?

I took a leap of faith. Saw this ceviche recipe which seems to be doing the least but delivers the true flavor of the sea. I found the recipe in one of the “Take Home Chef” episodes where Curtis Stone sneaked up on a shopper (mostly a woman) at a grocery store and asked her to take him home. The deal was he would prepare a delicious meal for her and her family. Wouldn’t that be awesome?

Well, Curtis is unlikely to be showing up in my area. I am on my own for now to make the dish. Frankly, this is so simple to do; anyone can do it. I marinated the raw tuna with lime juice, coconut milk, soy sauce and sesame oil. Left out the palm sugar; I don’t think you need it. Allow the flavor to meld and the fish to cook for 10 minutes. Cut the tuna in small cubes and layer them in thinly sliced cucumbers. Serve them cold, like sushi, except there is no the carb. Viola! Without counting the garnish, this is a five-ingredient dish and can be put together in short order. No fuss and no stress. Amazingly refreshing flavor. This is going to be the first summer I’m serving seafood raw when I find good supply of tuna or salmon.