Ceviche with rhubarb, lemon & chilli

Spring

Ceviche is made by marinating very fresh fish in the juice of lemon, orange or lime. The acidity in the juice tenderizes the fish, and if you leave it long enough appears to cook it. The preparation has its origins in Peru, but you’ll find thousands of interpretations of the same principle throughout much of South America. My approach has always been one of ‘less is more’ – I like the purity of a ceviche, so I tend to keep it as refined as I can. Here, I’m using the juicy pulp from grated rhubarb, alongside a little lemon to dress the fish. It’s different from the more traditional way of doing things, but the results are just as good. Thinly sliced rhubarb gives the dish a real hit of texture and red chilli brings the fire.

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 very fresh black bream or wild sea bass (about 800g/1lb 12oz), filleted, skinned and pin boned
1 stick of firm, red rhubarb, trimmed top and bottom
juice of 1 lemon and zest of ½
2 teaspoons caster sugar
1 red chilli, halved, deseeded and very thinly sliced
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

Place the fish on a board and use your sharpest knife to cut 3–4mm-thick (⅛–¼in) slices across the fillet at a slight angle. Place these in a medium bowl. Don’t add any fish flesh that appears tough or sinuous.

Weigh out 30–40g (1–1½oz) of the rhubarb and grate it very finely (I find a microplane is best for this task). Add the grated rhubarb pulp to the bowl with the fish. Then, cut the remaining rhubarb into slices no thicker than about 3mm (⅛in). Add the sliced rhubarb to the fish, along with the lemon juice and zest, and the sugar, chilli, plenty of salt to season and a twist of black pepper. Tumble the fish through all the ingredients – do this carefully, as you don’t want to break it up. Taste and adjust the seasoning if you need to.

Divide the fish and rhubarb mixture equally over four plates or bowls. Spoon over any remaining sharp, sweet juices and serve straight away.

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