May 26, 2024
Ceviche Negro with Pineapple Habanero Sauce, Cucumber, Pickled Shallot, Avocado
This ceviche is a very different flavor profile from any other ceviche I’ve tried. It’s based on a recado negro, a spice paste of charred ingredients and toasted spices from the Yucatan (and different from the more familiar mole negro). It’s mildly spicy yet bold and earthy with bitter smoky charred notes and a complex raisin like sweetness from the chiles. The spice paste is mixed with orange and lime juice to marinate the raw fish (I used mahi mahi and shrimp). The ceviche usually also has cucumber, red onion, and avocado so I chose to incorporate those as rolled cucumber slices, pickled shallot, and diced avocado (it’s with the fish). I also added a spicy and sweet pineapple habanero sauce for some balance as well as cilantro leaves and onion flowers for garnish. The sauce layer is pretty thin so there isn’t quite as much as it looks. Serve this with a spoon, or atop a bedd of lettuce, or your favorite chips or crackers! There are a lot of ingredients and steps but most can be made in advance and you will have lots of left over spice paste, which can be frozen.
Servings: 6
Calories: 172kcal
Ingredients
Recado Negro (Spice Paste)
- 6 ounces ancho chiles broken open and stem and seeds removed
- 6 large garlic cloves unpeeled
- 1/2 onion peeled and broken into individual layers
- 1/4 package achiote paste 25 grams
- 2 tablespoons oregano preferably Mexican
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon cumin ground
- 1/2 teaspoon allspice ground
- 1/8 teaspoon cloves ground
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon black pepper fresh ground
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 2 tablespoons caramelized onion ash optional
Pineapple Habanero Sauce
- 5 habanero peppers top stems, seeds, and membranes removed and soaked overnight in tequila (use gloves)
- 1 small shallot peeled, or 1/2 normal size shallot
- 1 clove garlic peeled
- 1 1/2 cup pineapple
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- juice of 1 lime
- 1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
- pinch xanthan gum optional, helps make a stable and smooth sauce
Ceviche
- 6 ounces white fish such as hamachi or snapper sashimi grade, cubed into large bite size pieces
- 6 ounces shrimp sashimi grade, peeled and deveined (if you can’t find sashimi grade, use cooked), cubed into bite size pieces
- 2 1/2 tablespoons recado negro
- 1/2 cup orange juice or Seville orange juice
- 1/2 cup lime juice or more Seville orange juice
- 1/2 cup cilantro leaves
Pickled Shallots
- 1 large shallot sliced thin (I like to use a mandolin but a sharp knife works too)
- 2 teaspoons powdered hibiscus (blend dried hibiscus flowers until finely ground) optional for color
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/2 cup apple cider or rice vinegar
- 1-2 drops stevia glycerite or preferred sweetener to taste
- generous pinch salt
To Serve
- 1 avocado diced
- 1 English cucumber cut as thin as possible and slices rolled up
- fresh cilantro leaves
- onion blossoms or other edible flowers optional
Instructions
For the Recado (Spice Paste)
- Preheat the oven to 450ºF and line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. Rub the onion with a bit of avocado oil and bake at 450ºF until the edges are beginning to char, 10 minutes. Flip the onion layers and return to the oven for another 10 minutes until charred around the edges (a few white spots and mostly caramelized regions with some char is what you are looking for). Transfer to a bowl to cool and set aside, do not clean the pan.
- Add the anchos and spread them evenly over the baking sheet and return the pan to the oven for 7 minutes, or until just beginning to smoke. Transfer the anchos to a large bowl and add cold water to cover them (use a second bowl to keep them submerged) and let soak for at least one hour and up to overnight (if your anchos are more burnt than not, a longer soak with at least one cold water change will help reduce acrid tastes in the spice paste so rinse them after an hour and let soak overnight).
- Combine all recado ingredients in a blender, pressing the roasted garlic cloves from their skins (discard the skins). Blend until smooth. Use as is or refrigerate for up to a week or freeze for several months).
Pineapple Habanero Sauce
- Pulse the habanero peppers in the tequila until finely chopped (but not a smooth puree as you need to strain it later). Cover and let stand in the tequila overnight to remove a lot of the heat. The next day, pour the peppers through a fine mesh strainer set in the sink and rinse thoroughly with cold water, discarding the tequila and water.
- Add the strained habaneros and all remaining ingredients to a blender and blend until completely smooth and thickened. Set aside (can be made a day ahead).
For the Ceviche
- Mix the recado and citrus juices in a large bowl until smooth. Add the fish and shrimp and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 1-2 hours, stirring occasionally. Stir in diced avocado and let the ceviche come up to room temperature for about 10 minutes before serving. Just be sure to taste and adjust seasoning as desired before plating.
For the Pickled Shallots
- Bring the vinegar, water, salt, and sweetener to a boil in a small pot (or microwave in a glass bowl). Transfer to a glass bowl and add the hibiscus and shallots, stirring to coat completely. Let sit for at least 30 minutes while you prepare everything else (they can be made and kept refrigerated for up to a week).
To Serve
- Spoon the ceviche onto a serving plate. Spoon the pineapple sauce around the outside. Garnish with cucumber rolls, pickled shallots, and fresh herbs. This is great eaten with a spoon, over a bed of lettuce, or with your favorite chips. Whatever you pick, a crunchy texture brings balance. If you’re not aiming for low carb, tortilla chips or fried plantains would be good.
Notes
For an easier and less fancy plating of the ceviche, stir in 1/4 red onion (soak it in cold water while the fish marinates to take the harshness out of the onion), diced and 1/2 English cucumber, seeded and diced. Just before serving, add 1 avocado, diced.
You only need a couple tablespoons of the recado, this is reflected in the nutrition facts. Freeze the rest for future use.
Protein:Energy Quotient [calories]: 0.71, Protein % of calories: 32.2%
Nutrition Facts
Ceviche Negro with Pineapple Habanero Sauce, Cucumber, Pickled Shallot, Avocado
Amount per Serving
Calories
172
% Daily Value*
Fat
6
g
9
%
Saturated Fat
1
g
6
%
Trans Fat
0.002
g
Polyunsaturated Fat
1
g
Monounsaturated Fat
3
g
Cholesterol
56
mg
19
%
Sodium
256
mg
11
%
Potassium
649
mg
19
%
Carbohydrates
18
g
6
%
Fiber
4
g
17
%
Sugar
9
g
10
%
Protein
14
g
28
%
Vitamin A
390
IU
8
%
Vitamin C
56
mg
68
%
Calcium
60
mg
6
%
Iron
1
mg
6
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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