You will likely have gotten to this page after having read about, perhaps having made, Rick Bayless’s Limed Red Onions. Being really fond of those lime-soaked onions, I made several taste trials to see how they might be used in a meal. Oddly, one of the most successful (to my taste) was combining the onions with a good, refrigerated sauerkraut. I went through an entire container of sauerkraut this way, realizing the texture and flavor were almost like a vegan ceviche.
Living here on SGI, it’s almost always possible to purchase a nice, fresh fillet of Grouper. Though the fish used in Panama (my favorite ceviche) is Corvina. Grouper is what’s available here, and the butcher recommended I try this over other options. Recalling what I learned in Panama, and checking recipes on-line, it seemed the minimal ingredients would be: Lemon (not Lime), Onion, Celery, Bell Pepper, Hot Pepper (Sereno or Jalapeño), Salt, the Fish, and perhaps some vinegar. Of course, most recipes feature Celantro, but I don’t like the taste of that herb, so I leave it out, though I might add just a small amount if some is available.
Combining the Limed Red Onion and the Sauerkraut turns out to be a good foundation (the Sauerkraut ferments to a vinegar, and has a lot of salt.) Trialing various ingredients, and given what’s available here on the Island, I came to the following composition:
- Grouper – a fillet (a pound or a bit less)
- Bayless’s Limed Red Onion – about two large onions (at least 10 limes)
- Sauerkraut – (I use a 1 lb bag of Boar’s Head, squeezing out much of the juice, but not washing it)
- 1 Yellow Bell Pepper
- 1 Jalapeño, diced
- 2 ribs celery, thinly sliced on a bias (I use carrot peeler, making 1-2″ long crescents)
- Garlic – several cloves, thin-sliced
- Celanthro – if it’s your thing!
- Salt & White Pepper
I make the Limed Red Onion first, perhaps even more than will be used since it’s a nice relish. Then I combine about 2 large onions-worth of the relish with the Sauerkraut, Peppers, Celery, and Garlic, which can hang out in the refrigerator. When it’s time to make up some ceviche, I purchase a fresh Grouper fillet, cut it into bite-size pieces with kitchen shears, and soak it in fresh-squeezed lime and lemon juice in a shallow, lided container, in the regrigerator.. It’ll take a couple of large lemons and several limes (5-7), and you’ll want to let the fish marinate until it totally white and “cooked”.
The final step is to combine the marinating relish with the fish. This is the point at which you decide how fish-forward the ceviche should be. If the budget allows, and if several people are to partake, then use more Grouper. This quantity of relish could probably support at least 3 fillets, perhaps more.
I simply add the relish until I’m happy with the ratio of fish to pickled vegetables. Then I add salt and pepper to taste. Serve in nice, capacious cocktail glasses or pretty bowls with fresh saltine crackers.
Link to this Page: https://botanyincontext.com/grouper-ceviche/
24 May 2025