Classic Seviche Tostadas

Ingredients

• 1 lb. very fresh boneless, skinless, ocean fish fillets
• 6 to 8 limes
• 1 large round, ripe tomato, cut into small dice
• 3 or 4 fresh serrano chiles, stemmed and finely chopped
• 3 Tbs. finely chopped cilantro leaves, plus several dozen for garnish
• 1/2 cup finely diced white onion
• 2 to 3 Tbs. olive oil
• 1 tsp. coarse salt
• 1 tsp. sugar (optional)
• 1 large ripe avocado, peeled, pitted, and cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 36 crisp tortilla chips

Directions

To marinate the fish, cut the fish into 1/4-inch dice and scoop into a large bowl. Squeeze the juice from the limes, pour it over the fish, and stir well—the cup of juice you get should be enough to generously cover the fish. Cover and refrigerate for several hours, until the pieces of fish are no longer pink and raw looking when broken apart. Drain in a colander, pressing gently on the fish to help remove excess lime juice.

To make the Tomato-Serrano Salsa, in a large bowl, mix together the tomato, chiles, and cilantro. Scoop the onion into a strainer, rinse under cold water, shake off the excess, then add to the tomato mixture.

To finish the seviche, just before serving, mix the drained fish, salsa and enough olive oil to coat everything lightly. Taste and season with salt (and sugar if you’d like to take the edge off the tanginess), then stir in the diced avocado. Spoon a generous tablespoon of the fish mixture onto each tortilla chip. Top with a leaf of cilantro, arrange on a decorative platter and serve.

Copyright © Mary S. Risley

Serves 8.