Contrary to popular belief, ceviche needn’t include any seafood to be considered “authentic,” or more importantly, to be considered delicious. One of many dishes with murky origins, it’s largely credited to the Peruvians, but it made its mark on cultures across all continents. If one were to look at the Latin etymology, it would simply mean “food for men and animals;” an ambiguous free-for-all with very little meaning other than the fact that it was, indeed, edible. Turning to Arabic, we see the foundation for “cooking in vinegar.” Persian would agree, going further to suggest that it was a “vinegar soup.” Sure, fish or meat was almost always invited to the party, but that doesn’t mean it was essential to the soul of the dish.
Scores of creative ceviches abound, plant-based and seasoned with a wide palate of different cultural perspectives. The most successful ones that I’ve come across take texture into account even before the flavor is considered, as backwards as that may sound. Few people realize just how much of the eating experience comes down to texture, which is why ceviche is a particularly fascinating preparation to experiment with. As long as it has a somewhat meaty yet springy texture that approximates something like shrimp or calamari, accompanied by a brightly acidic twang, you can craft a highly satisfying vegan rendition, no questions asked. Thus, upon biting into a fresh, juicy lychee, inspiration for a new approach struck me like lightning.
As the rest of the country starts hunting through their closets for long-forgotten sweaters and scarves, predictably, the bay area is forced to start shedding layers. The heat continues to skyrocket and the only thing I want to eat is something quick, cold, and satisfying. Ceviche fits neatly into that definition, no matter what else you consider essential. Packing it with buttery avocados and young coconut meat adds richness to this otherwise very lean preparation, fit for either a light meal or a good snack. Packed with crisp vegetables, everything is open to interpretation based on your personal tastes and accessibility. Want to mix it up? Consider ripe tomatoes, cubed watermelon, fresh corn, marinated mushrooms, chunks of fried plantain, or even steamed sweet potatoes, just for starters. Borrow from as many different cultures as you like; for ceviche, as long as it’s cold and raw, pretty much anything goes.
The only inviolable rule is to use ONLY fresh lychees, and I must be adamant about that. Canned can never compare, possessing both an unnatural sweetness and unpleasantly sour, metallic aftertaste. If you can’t find fresh, just double up on the coconut, and choose your own vegetable adventure from there.
Island Breeze Lychee Ceviche
Buttery avocados and young coconut meat adds richness to this otherwise very lean plant-based preparation, fit for either a light meal or a good snack. Packed with crisp vegetables, everything is open to interpretation based on your personal tastes and accessibility. Want to mix it up? Consider ripe tomatoes, cubed watermelon, fresh corn, marinated mushrooms, chunks of fried plantain, or even steamed sweet potatoes, just for starters. Borrow from as many different cultures as you like; for ceviche, as long as it’s cold and raw, pretty much anything goes.
Ingredients
- 10 – 12 Fresh Lychees, Peeled, Pitted, and Quartered (About 2/3 Cup)
- 1 Fresh Young Thai Coconut, Meat Removed and Diced
- 1/2 Large Cucumber, Peeled and Seeded
- 1 Small Avocado, Diced
- 3 Tablespoons Lime Juice
- 1 Tablespoon Pineapple Juice
- 1 Tablespoon Rice Vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Vegan Fish Sauce or Soy Sauce
- 1 Red Jalapeno, Seeded and Finely Minced
- 2 Scallions, Thinly Sliced
- 1/4 Cup Packed Fresh Cilantro, Roughly Chopped
- Salt, to Taste
Instructions
- To prepare ceviche, you shouldn’t really need written instructions to break it down, but here goes: Toss everything together in a large bowl except for the salt, cover, and let marinate in the refrigerator for 15 – 30 minutes. Season with salt to taste and serve thoroughly chilled, with crackers if desired.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 99Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 1mgSodium: 251mgCarbohydrates: 6gFiber: 3gSugar: 2gProtein: 2g
Sounds amazingly refreshing. I’ve never tried the “real” version, as I know the seafood is supposed to be “cooked” by the juice, but I’m not trying it. :-)
janet
I don’t blame you! Considering all the questionable seafood out there, let alone the variable quality, you’d be simply asking for food poisoning in most cases. Definitely better to stick with the plants here. ;)
Creative as always, and looks delicious! Next time I’m at Uwajimaya (Seattle’s biggest Asian grocery store) I’ll have to stock up on the ingredients for this. But I will already have the Fysh sauce, thanks to your tip I’ve just ordered it from Amazon.
I was just thinking the same thing!
Oh I’m so happy to hear that! Now that I have it on hand, I find myself throwing it into pretty much all of my savory recipes (as I’m seeing from my most recent posts). It’s just hard to resist that instant umami. Hope you enjoy it as well!
Fresh lychee is so good, I never bothered to make anything with it as it’s so nice and refreshing as is. Love how the ceviche keeps that freshness and just adds to it. :-)
Sounds a wonderful recipe and I have never tasted Fresh Lychees. In fact I had to look them up, it is something I have seen but rarely, and never bought any to try.. xx
I’ve had neither fresh lychee nor ceviche, and now I’m intrigued. I recently saw a recipe using watermelon that sounded most refreshing, so I’m inclined to add some to the mix. And mushrooms sound good, too. I will add this to my ‘must try soon’ list. Thanks for the great idea!
This is such a beautiful recipe, great flavor combo with fun ingredients to try. Never tried what’s considered to be the traditional stuff, but gotta try this. Thanks!
This is such an inventive recipe. Making a hearts of palm ceviche recipe has been on my to do list since summer. You just inspired me to get to it! And can’t wait to try this beautiful recipe!
Reblogged this on Chef Ceaser.
Wow! So interesting!
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