Ceviche Recipe with Cod and Cucumber

I’m happy to say that Fake Food Free has transitioned to the Substack Newsletter called Every Corner of the World.

I hope to see you there.

This ceviche recipe is made with cod, colorful bell peppers, cucumber and two kinds of citrus! Serve it in avocado halves as a salad or with tortilla chips.

I’ve been trying to remember the first time I learned about ceviche. I think it was when we were living in Brazil and my husband traveled to Peru for work. He returned from that trip and told me all about it. I’m not certain, but given my food experience at that point, I’m pretty sure I turned my nose up at it. 

I was a no-raw-fish kind of person at that point. Of course, that is silly because if you know ceviche, you know that while the acidic citrus juices don’t rid the fish of all potential parasites, they do essentially cook the fish as it marinates.

And it’s even sillier now considering that these days I am sushi’s biggest fan. No snobbery or food fear here. 

It’s been a long time since I’ve made ceviche. But as we embark on our first full summer here in the Central Valley, we have decided one thing — we want cold dinners. Cheese plates, salads. Anything and everything cold. 

So along came cravings for ceviche; the perfect way to mix things up a bit. 

Two things about my ceviche:  1) I like it loaded with as many vegetables as there are pieces of fish or seafood.  2) I like to mix the citrus juices. Lemon-lime, orange-lime. Something to give more depth to the flavor. 

This is the recipe that I’ve made most recently and it has definitely satisfied the cold dinner craving. Good cod is one of my favorite fishes to use because it cuts so nicely into uniform cubes. Be sure to check Seafood Watch for the most sustainable varieties. I lean towards pre-frozen and thawed fish for ceviche. Hank at Hunter Angler Gardner Cook has a great blog post about the reasons for using frozen fish. 

You can serve this ceviche in avocado halves to add some fun to the meal. That way when you eat it, you’ll get a bit of creamy avocado with each bite. 

What you’ll need:

1/2 cup diced bell pepper
1/4 cup diced cucumber
4 green onions, sliced
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
3/4 to 1 lb. cod, thawed and cut into small cubes
1/8 teaspoon fine ground sea salt
2 avocados, halved and pitted (optional)

How to make it:

Stir together the bell pepper, cucumber and onions in a glass 7 x 11 inch pan. Pour in the lime juice and lemon juice, then stir in the cilantro. 

Next, add the fish. Stir well and spread the fish into a single layer so that all pieces are in contact with the citrus juice. Sprinkle with salt and cover with plastic wrap or a lid. 

Place in the refrigerate. Resting times vary depending on the size of the fish cubes. I check the fish and stir every 30 minutes or so to ensure it has turned from opaque to white all the way through. For me, this recipe was ready to go in 2 1/2 hours. Larger fish cubes may take up to 4 or 6 hours.