Red Snapper Ceviche with Mango and Coconut Milk

If I should suddenly disappear, please come look for me in South America. Peru, to be precise. I'm going to learn all about ceviche. For now I can tell you this: no cooking required, light and very easy. I already feel like screaming Ceviche Forever! Can you blame me?


Red Snapper Ceviche
with Mango & Coconut Milk
for 4

red snapper, bream, or other white flesh fish 3/4 lb.
lime 3-4
coconut milk about 1 cup
mango 1/2
red bell pepper 1/2
shallot 1/2
Thai chili pepper 1
olive oil, salt, pepper, fresh cilantro to taste

For this recipe I used a red snapper fillet, a white flesh fish with firm texture, very common in this area. You can substitute it with sea bream, or if you'd like you can also use tuna.
Cut the fish into small cubes, place them in a bowl and cover them with lime juice and coconut milk. Mix well, cover with plastic wrap and let it rest in the refrigerator for 4-5 hours.
Drain the fish from the marinade, keeping few tablespoons aside. Dice the mango and the pepper. Finely chop shallot and Thai chili, seeds removed.
Mix them with the fish cubes, season with two tablespoons of olive oil, salt, pepper, some finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves and the reserved marinade. Serve cold.

Salt-Baked Branzino

No, my dear sea bass, please don't look at me that way. I've already made up my mind, and let's not argue. And then, what are you complaining about? You'll end up in a classic, everyone will love it. So stop making that face...


Salt Baked Branzino
for 2

whole branzino (sea bass) 1, approximately 2 lb 3 oz
coarse sea salt 2 to 4 lb, depending on the size of the fish
parsley, lemon juice, olive oil, pepper to taste

Clean and gut the sea bass, and rinse it under running water (... in cases like this, it wouldn't hurt to be friends with the fish guy).
Arrange half of the salt on the bottom of a baking pan, place the fish on top of it and coat it well with the other half of the salt. Bake at 400 for 35 to 40 minutes. When ready, transfer the sea bass on a plate, break the salt shell that will have formed and fillet it. Serve with a sauce prepared by mixing oil, pepper, chopped parsley, juice and zest of lemon.
If you wish, before baking you can season the inside of the fish with chopped herbs, a couple of bay leaves, some garlic and/or lemon slices.

Swordfish Orange Tartare

And yet I had been so far-sighted! Back in December I had kindly ordered Santa Claus to spare the set of pans by Le Creuset and the latest Kitchen Aid and to send me instead to the Mediterranean aboard a yacht, to be rocked by gentle waves and spoiled by July's sun and fresh fish of the day.
But at this point I honestly think he didn't understand. No sign of the yacht. The sun, he sent it to different horizons to warm some young bathing beauty. The waves are oceanic monsters spitting wind and freezing fog. As for the Le Creuset and the Kitchen Aid, I've given up on them long time ago.

Swept away by the usual fate amidst the greyness of the city in August, I find myself with a piece of fish. Fresh, they say.
Santa Claus, ever tried tartare with oranges?


Swordfish Orange Tartare
for 2 (me and Santa Claus)

fresh swordfish fillet about 300 gr.
orange, small 1
shallot 1
salt-packed capers a handful
parsley, basil, mint a handful each
salt, pepper, olive oil, lemon juice to taste

Cut off the skin from the fish fillet (if necessary) and dice it not too finely. Mince the shallot, the capers, rinsed from their salt, and a generous amount of parsley, basil and mint. Grate the orange zest. In another bowl, whisk together the juice of the orange, few drops of lemon juice, oil, salt and pepper. Dress the fish with this marinade, adding the minced herbs and capers. Mix well and refrigerate for few hours. Before serving, drain the fish from the marinade.

Homemade Cured Salmon

Ever thought of doing it yourself? Me neither, at least until two days ago, when, coming back from a Saturday in Big Sur and from the necessary stop at Big Sur Bakery, which I've already told you about, here, I've rediscovered this old friend. For the first time, glancing at the wonderful pictures and the unreproducible delicacies, I wasn't tempted by scones, cookies or any other sweet, but my eyes fell on the description of the process to make your own cured salmon. It's extremely easy, I'm sure if you try it you'll never let it go again. The only advice is that it doesn't last long, two weeks at the most, so it's better not to let it get out of hand and choose a piece of salmon of manageable size.

P.S: Sometimes it's really encouraging realizing that all those books on the shelves have a reason to be, you almost feel like going on with the collection for ever...
Now, I'd say we need a bagel. Or a nice Christmas Eve.


Homemade Cured Salmon

salmon fillet, skin on and no bones about 300 gr.
sea salt about 350 gr.
sugar 50 gr.
black peppercorns 1 tablespoon
fresh dill to taste

Crack the peppercorns in a mortar. Mix together salt and sugar and place half of the mixture on the bottom of a container large enough to hold the piece of salmon. Place salmon on top, skin side down, cover it with pepper and few dill sprigs and then pour the rest of the salt mixture on top of it, so that the fish is covered all over. Cover it with plastic wrap and keep in the fridge for 2-3 days.
Marinating time will depend on the thickness of the fillet. After two days, check for doneness: pressing it in the middle with your finger, it should feel pretty firm. Otherwise, leave it in the brine for one more day. Rinse salmon very quickly under water, to wash away salt, pat it dry with paper towels and slice it very thin.

In my extra-fluo version, I’ve paired it with purple potatoes, boiled and sliced, and I’ve dressed it with a simple caper sauce (capers, lemon juice and olive oil, mixed together in the mortar). But, as I mentioned before, it would be perfect on top of a nice bagel, toasted and spread with cream cheese, maybe even with a thin slice of red onion and a couple of capers…

Sesame Crusted Tuna

This is the classic secret weapon, a very easy and superfast recipe that you can show off with nonchalance even in emergencies. Success is guaranteed, even for those who've been scared for years to confront fish dishes, like me.

The most difficult thing, if anything, is to go conquer the tuna. And also to go through the cash register without looking at the total, dropping the card and signing the receipt with your eyes closed : )


Sesame Crusted Tuna
with Mango Salsa

For The Tuna
fresh tuna steak, about 1 inch thick
balsamic vinegar, ginger, salt, black and white sesame seeds, olive oil to taste

For the Mango Salsa
mango 1/2
fresh pineapple 1-2 slices
red bell pepper, small 1/2
green chili pepper 1/2
salt, pepper, lime juice, fresh cilantro to taste

Rub tuna with the freshly grated ginger and let it marinate for about one hour with some balsamic vinegar, turning it around few times.
Drain from marinade and then coat both sides in the sesame seeds, previously combined in a bowl. Press slightly on all sides, so that the seeds will stick and form a nice thick crust.
Using a paper napkin, lightly grease a non stick pan with oil, and heat it up until it gets really hot. Turn the heat down and place the tuna on top of it, cooking it for about one minute each side. Season with salt and let it cool down before slicing it.
For the mango salsa, cut mango, pineapple, red bell pepper and green chili pepper in very small cubes. Put them in a bowl, mix well and season with salt, pepper, fresh cilantro and lime juice. Let it sit for at least one hour before serving.