Results tagged “ceviche”

The weather outside tells me I need to wrap up any "summer"-related activities, so here are the last two ceviches of my summer...

I hadn't been back to the Spoke (3369 N Clark) in a while, so I was excited to be back and try the ceviche that got me started on this whole kick in the first place. And you know what? Maybe it needs to be experienced at the end of a long, hard night of running around with a camera. As an afternoon meal I noticed how tomato-juicy it was -- I really had to dig around to find some solid bits in there. It was also, in comparison to most of the other ceviches I've had this summer, a bit bland.

The main selling point of the Twisted Spoke's ceviche is its volume -- for just a few dollars more than the appetizer size, you get a full pint glass of ceviche. And hey, there's always cheap whiskey at the Spoke!

After months of an empty space with a small "Coming Soon" sign in the window, That Little Mexican Cafe, which has received mixed reviews for their Evanston location, finally opened on the corner of Bryn Mawr and Winthrop. I'd had a late lunch and one of the specials of the day was a ceviche appetizer, so that was my dinner.

TLMC's ceviche breaks my usual rule that ceviche relies on the contrast between the textures of the fish or shrimp and that of the tortilla chips. I was halfway through the bowl and I was about write it off as rather bland and uninteresting when I had a spoonful without one of the thick and heavy chips. The difference was incredible. The ceviche was spicy and shrimpy (in a good way) but the chips were completely absorbing the flavor.

FYI: The Evanston location is known for their margaritas, but the Bryn Mawr location is still BYOB.

(Originally posted on the Chicago Metblog, Aug 31, 2006: My Summer of Ceviche: Last Two)

How to make ceviche at home:

While out doing last-minute shopping for your wedding rehearsal dinner, decide that a perfect addition to the carefully planned and budgeted meal would be ceviche, which you have never made before. Use your fancy phone to google for "ceviche recipe" and so find this recipe. Decide you like shrimp more than fish and notice that avocados are on sale. Purchase:

2 lbs of frozen, raw shrimp
4 lemons
6 limes (because they're smaller)
a medium white onion
2 ripe-looking tomatoes
1 serrano chili
a bunch of cilantro
4 avocados

Also get the stuff you actually went to the store to purchase and go home.

Juice the lemons and limes and put the juice in a 9"x12" Pyrex dish. Thaw the shrimp by running cold water over them for a few minutes. Shell the shrimp and cut into 1/2" pieces, putting the pieces into the citrus juice as you go. It will take a long time. Your fiancee will stop by occasionally and gently, and reasonably, suggest that maybe someone else could cut up the shrimp while you do things that only you can get done, like finish up the thank you cards for members of the wedding party. Make vague noises about finishing up soon and stubbornly continue. When the shrimp have all been cut, stir and level the shrimp in the lemon/lime juice to make sure all the shrimp are covered. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and put into the fridge.

Chop the rest of the ingredients, mix, and place aside in a bowl. Wait two hours, then mix the remaining ingredients into the Pyrex pan. Plan on taking it out in an hour or so. Get involved in conversations and forget about the ceviche until nearly the end of the evening. Serve to the remaining guests on El Rey tortilla chips. Put away 2 pounds of ceviche. Sunday (two days later) wonder how long ceviche keeps, decide to chance it, and savor the super-marinated flavor.

Forget to take a picture.

(Originally posted on the Chicago Metblog, Aug 25, 2006: My Summer of Ceviche: Home Attempt #1)

I include this ceviche largely for completeness:

If you're ever at a wedding in Santa Fe and a caterer offers you a shot glass of ceviche as an hors d'oeuvre, I'm going to advise against taking it because a) it was kind of bland, b) I've really decided that a big part of the appeal of ceviche for me is the contrast between the crunch of the chip and the squish of the seafood and the shot glass lacks that contrast, and c) it was probably what gave me the mild food poisoning that kept me up half the night with unpleasant bodily functions.

(Originally posted on the Chicago Metblog, Aug 7, 2006: My Summer of Ceviche: The Caterer)

There's a Mexican restaurant, Restaurant Traspasada (3144 N California), around the corner from a place I've been doing some moonlighting, and I was really happy to discover it because it's a little bit of an eatery-wasteland (Hot Doug's is always closed by the time I get over there). It's a nice place -- all winter long my taco dinner came with home-made chicken soup, just because.

So when I walked in this week and the posted special was 3 tostadas de cevhiche de pescado and a Corona for $10.95, well the summer of ceviche required that be my dinner.

The three tostadas were each covered with mayonnaise (probably. I think.) and a good-sized pile of ceviche, topped by healthy chunks of avocado. The ceviche was not very fishy (and I'm not sure what kind of fish it was), and in fact was fairly bland in general, with not much of the bite or tang I've come to expect from ceviches. I did load on some hot sauce that had been placed on the table after I ordered the ceviche, but it didn't really heat up the flavor that much. Though, I do have to confess that as I was swallowing the last bite, I realized that I had also been given a styrofoam cup with three limes and had completely overlooked it. So maybe there was my tang. Oops. Anyway, it was good, but not great. I think I'll be back to the pork tacos the next time I'm there.

(Originally posted on the Chicago Metblog, Jun 21, 2006: My Summer of Ceviche: Restaurant Traspasada)

Last year when we were performing the Neutrino Project as a late-night show at the Improv Kitchen, I got into a routine -- every night after the show the whole crew would head over the Twisted Spoke and I'd have a beer and ceviche, which they serve in a hearty pint glass. I was devastated when, late in the run, my waiter announced that ceviche was a seasonal item and they had switched to their winter menu.

So, now that summer has returned, I've decided to get a little obsessive and make this my Summer of Ceviche -- I'm going to try to hit as many places in town as possible that serve fish 'cooked' in acidic fruit juices (that is, ceviche).

I started with the closest restaurant to my house that serves ceviche -- Ole Ole (5413 N Clark). Ole Ole has two varieties of ceviche -- a mixed seafood (shrimp, calimari, scallop) marinated in a tomato base, and a fish of the day (which was Mako Shark on our visit) marinated in a lime juice. I wanted to get both, and we decided to fill out our meal with some of their appetizer and tapas selection. The last place I ate small-plate style food (cough, Lennox Lounge*) the portions were tiny, so with that in mind we ordered an array of items. It turns out the portions are not small at Ole Ole. There were two of us, but we had enough food for four. And we only spent $60 (with two drinks each).

The food was great -- the black beans and rice and fried plantains were both surprisingly good for side dishes. My Caipirinha was tasty and plenty strong. And the ceviches were everything I hoped for -- tangy, fish-ful, the shellfish ceviche somewhat spicier.

Oh, and for desert we just walked across the street to bon bon (5410 N Clark) and got a truffle each. Theoretically they close at 8 on the weekends, but the owner, Elizabeth, told us that she stays open as long as there's traffic (which let us get in at 8:30) and that she was considering longer summer hours.

* Don't get me wrong about the Lennox Lounge -- the food was great, the staff was friendly, the atmosphere is delightful. Just, you know, small portions.

(Originally posted on the Chicago Metblog, Jun 12, 2006: My Summer of Ceviche - Ole Ole)