TUNA Ceviche
A vibrant ceviche featuring salt-cured ahi tuna in a tropical leche de tigre made with prickly pear, dragon fruit, and citrus. Topped with radish, pomegranate, and herbs for a refreshing, spicy dish.
Ingredients
- 1 lb ahi or big eye fresh tuna steaks, sushi grade
- 2 tbsp flake sea salt
- 1 prickly pear (cactus fruit) peeled and quartered
- 1 dragon fruit peeled and quartered
- 1 English cucumber peeled and cut into chunks
- 1 serrano chile pepper stem removed
- 1 cup coconut water
- 1 cup freshly squeezed pink grapefruit juice
- 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
- sea salt
- 3 radishes sliced and cut into match sticks
- 2 tbsp fresh pomegranate seeds
- 2 tbsp pickled onions and peppers
- 1 additional serrano chile pepper stemmed, seeded, and shaved paper thin
- fresh cilantro sprigs
- fresh opal basil leaves (or young regular basil will work too)
- fresh mint leaves
- Avocado Espuma (optional)
- olive oil for drizzling
- zest of 1 lime
- 1 cauliflower cut into florets
- 2 tbsp coconut or avocado oil
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp chile de árbol powder
- 2 fresh corn husked
- 1 tbsp coconut or avocado oil
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise made with olive oil or vegan mayo
- 1/4 cup Plain Cashew Crema
- 1/2 tsp chile de árbol powder
- 1 tsp adobo sauce (from canned chipotle chiles)
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- 1 tsp minced fresh dill
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- crumbled cotija cheese
- chopped fresh cilantro
- lime wedges
Nutrition (per serving, estimated)
Estimated based off 28 of 37 identified ingredients (per 100 g food data, scaled by amount).
Vitamins & minerals
- Calcium: 277 mg
- Iron: 5.37 mg
- Magnesium: 177 mg
- Phosphorus: 547 mg
- Potassium: 1879 mg
- Zinc: 2.25 mg
Let's Prepare
Collect
Gather these ingredients — no prep needed yet.
- 1 lb ahi or big eye fresh tuna steaks, sushi grade
- 2 tbsp flake sea salt
- 1 cup coconut water
- 1 cup freshly squeezed pink grapefruit juice
- 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
- sea salt
- 2 tbsp fresh pomegranate seeds
- 2 tbsp pickled onions and peppers
- fresh cilantro sprigs
- fresh opal basil leaves (or young regular basil will work too)
- fresh mint leaves
- Avocado Espuma (optional)
- zest of 1 lime
- 2 tbsp coconut or avocado oil
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp chile de árbol powder
- 1 tbsp coconut or avocado oil
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise made with olive oil or vegan mayo
- 1/4 cup Plain Cashew Crema
- 1/2 tsp chile de árbol powder
- 1 tsp adobo sauce (from canned chipotle chiles)
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- 1 tsp minced fresh dill
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- crumbled cotija cheese
- chopped fresh cilantro
- lime wedges
Prepare
- 1 prickly pear (cactus fruit), peeled and quartered
- 1 dragon fruit, peeled and quartered
- 1 English cucumber, peeled and cut into chunks
- 1 serrano chile pepper, stem removed
- 3 radishes, sliced and cut into match sticks
- 1 additional serrano chile pepper, stemmed, seeded, and shaved paper thin
- olive oil, for drizzling
- 1 cauliflower, cut into florets
- 2 fresh corn, husked
Let's Cook
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Step 1.
Trim and clean off all of the dark-red blood line from the tuna. Cut the tuna steaks into rectangular logs, about 2 inches wide. Sprinkle the tuna logs all over with 2 tablespoons flake sea salt, pressing gently to ensure the salt adheres. Refrigerate the salted tuna steaks for 40 to 45 minutes to lightly cure.
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Step 2.
While the tuna cures, make the red leche de tigre: Place the peeled and quartered prickly pear, peeled and quartered dragon fruit, peeled and chunked cucumber, 1 stemmed serrano chile, 1 cup coconut water, 1 cup pink grapefruit juice, and ¼ cup lime juice in a blender. Blend on high until uniform and as smooth as possible. Season lightly with sea salt. Strain through a fine mesh strainer, pressing gently on the pulp to extract as much liquid as possible. Refrigerate to chill.
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Step 3.
After 40 to 45 minutes, pull the salted tuna from the refrigerator and wipe gently with damp paper towels to remove the bulk of the salt cure. Using a very sharp knife, slice the tuna against the grain into ¼-inch-thick slices, keeping the knife at a 45-degree angle and making clean, one-motion cuts (avoid sawing).
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Step 4.
In a small bowl, toss the tuna slices with a few spoonfuls of the chilled leche de tigre and let sit for 2 to 3 minutes before plating.
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Step 5.
Divide the remaining leche de tigre among 4 shallow bowls. Arrange the marinated tuna slices down the center or around the outer edge of each bowl. Top with radish matchsticks in a decorative alternating pattern, then sprinkle with pomegranate seeds, pickled onions and peppers, and 4 to 5 slices of the remaining serrano chile (stemmed, seeded, and shaved paper thin). Finish with fresh cilantro sprigs, opal basil leaves, mint leaves, a few dots of Avocado Espuma (optional), and a drizzle of olive oil. Grate lime zest over the dish with a Microplane or fine grater.
