Lets be honest, lets face up to what we've all been trying secretly to deny and hide discreetly under our heavily knitted jumpers and our massively padded winter coats. That annoying squeeze of extra pressure around your waist will persist and agitate the hell out of you like an irritating clump of insect bites until you finally give in and decide to do something about it.
I'm not hear to preach to the virtuous ( or hellish ) words of Dr Atkin or Mr Dukan nor I'm a about to write 101 ways to liven up a carrot stick, I'm only here just to remind ourselves ( ok mainly myself ) that whilst we may of let our selves indulge in that extra chunk of perfectly crusty bejewelled pork pie ( the ones with the sharp and tart cranberries on top that contrasted oh so perfectly with a hot water crust and a filling of sweet herby stuffing with chunks of coarsely chopped pork and hunks of succulent turkey leg, mmm... ) and we may of disillusioned ourselves into thinking that its perfectly normal to have eggs benedict for breakfast 3 days in a row ( although I've now perfected hollandaise sauce), this kind of edible behaviour is now no longer acceptable, well at least for a while or maybe a week...
In a challenge to make us both eat a little less sausage meat and buttery pastry this month, I have decided to turn my attention to fish and not just any fish, raw fish - Ceviche . Don't be alarmed my non adventurous foodie friends, when i say raw i don't actually mean raw. Ceviche is small pieces of fish that need to relax in spa pool of acidic zesty citrus juice before the magic can take place. Tongue awakening juices are gradually able to change the characteristics of the fish by altering the texture and colour, giving you the impression that the fish is cooked.
Given that i decided to marinate my thinly sliced pieces of crisp sea bass in an abundant amount of lime juice i was not completely convinced this would a) work and b) taste very nice, in fact i was pondering how i was going to be able to eat it without looking like i was sucking on a lemon. Undeterred i stayed positive as to not let my pessimistic thoughts pass subconsciously to the next room where R was waiting quite ( worryingly ) patient for his dinner. I managed to resist the temptation to peek in on the immersed fish pieces and prepared my other ingredients Given that we were already bordering on sunnier shores with the chosen method of cooking i went along with the exotic theme. Robust segments of positively beaming red grapefruit adorned the platter along with razor thin salty slithers of Serrano ham, before i let my superfluous nature take over i threw in some slices of avocado to bring the dish back down to a level that would still keep the fish the main star.
Firm and opaque the sea bass sat boldly in the marinating dish as if ready for their next command, my ever inquisitive mind physically forced me into trying some before it reached its final position. With no hint of a squeezed eye nor any lip smacking sourness the fish glided gracefully onto my tongue where it proceeded to melt away with only the faintest touch from my teeth.
Nestled delicately in between the ruby redness of the grapefruit and the soft blushness from the ham, this pretty platter looked hot to trot but what shocked me most was the way in which each ingredient put their best attributes forward and harmonised together to form a truly captivating dish. I suspect that this dish is more suited to a warm and mellow summers evening, sat outside watching the sunset rather than huddled next to a ferociously burning log fire but given then magic in this dish just close your eyes when you take your first mouthful and allow yourself to be whisked away to a white sandy beach where the breeze feels like a gentle kiss on your neck and the warm waves lap playfully at your feet.
January Blues Ceviche
2 fresh as fresh fillets of sea bass sliced thinly
Around 4 limes - all squeezed of their liquid
salt
1 red grapefruit, peeled and sliced
1 ripe avocado, peeled and sliced
Around 4-6 slices of Serrano ham or Parma ham would taste just as good
Pomegranate seeds - optional
A few leaves of fresh mint.
Add a pinch of salt to the juice of your limes then place the fish pieces in a shallow bowl and cover with the lime juice, attempting to make sure each piece of fish is more or less covered with the liquid.
Place in the fridge for at least 40 Min's although you could leave it over night.
When the fish is ready it should have firmed up slightly and turned more of a milky white colour, when this has happened remove the fish from its juices and allow to drain slightly.
Then its up to you, you could either serve this on individual plates or one big platter ( no arguments about who got more this way!) , adorn your plates frivolously and decorate liberally with the jewel like pomegranate seeds and the refreshing mint.
In a challenge to make us both eat a little less sausage meat and buttery pastry this month, I have decided to turn my attention to fish and not just any fish, raw fish - Ceviche . Don't be alarmed my non adventurous foodie friends, when i say raw i don't actually mean raw. Ceviche is small pieces of fish that need to relax in spa pool of acidic zesty citrus juice before the magic can take place. Tongue awakening juices are gradually able to change the characteristics of the fish by altering the texture and colour, giving you the impression that the fish is cooked.
Given that i decided to marinate my thinly sliced pieces of crisp sea bass in an abundant amount of lime juice i was not completely convinced this would a) work and b) taste very nice, in fact i was pondering how i was going to be able to eat it without looking like i was sucking on a lemon. Undeterred i stayed positive as to not let my pessimistic thoughts pass subconsciously to the next room where R was waiting quite ( worryingly ) patient for his dinner. I managed to resist the temptation to peek in on the immersed fish pieces and prepared my other ingredients Given that we were already bordering on sunnier shores with the chosen method of cooking i went along with the exotic theme. Robust segments of positively beaming red grapefruit adorned the platter along with razor thin salty slithers of Serrano ham, before i let my superfluous nature take over i threw in some slices of avocado to bring the dish back down to a level that would still keep the fish the main star.
Firm and opaque the sea bass sat boldly in the marinating dish as if ready for their next command, my ever inquisitive mind physically forced me into trying some before it reached its final position. With no hint of a squeezed eye nor any lip smacking sourness the fish glided gracefully onto my tongue where it proceeded to melt away with only the faintest touch from my teeth.
Nestled delicately in between the ruby redness of the grapefruit and the soft blushness from the ham, this pretty platter looked hot to trot but what shocked me most was the way in which each ingredient put their best attributes forward and harmonised together to form a truly captivating dish. I suspect that this dish is more suited to a warm and mellow summers evening, sat outside watching the sunset rather than huddled next to a ferociously burning log fire but given then magic in this dish just close your eyes when you take your first mouthful and allow yourself to be whisked away to a white sandy beach where the breeze feels like a gentle kiss on your neck and the warm waves lap playfully at your feet.
January Blues Ceviche
2 fresh as fresh fillets of sea bass sliced thinly
Around 4 limes - all squeezed of their liquid
salt
1 red grapefruit, peeled and sliced
1 ripe avocado, peeled and sliced
Around 4-6 slices of Serrano ham or Parma ham would taste just as good
Pomegranate seeds - optional
A few leaves of fresh mint.
Add a pinch of salt to the juice of your limes then place the fish pieces in a shallow bowl and cover with the lime juice, attempting to make sure each piece of fish is more or less covered with the liquid.
Place in the fridge for at least 40 Min's although you could leave it over night.
When the fish is ready it should have firmed up slightly and turned more of a milky white colour, when this has happened remove the fish from its juices and allow to drain slightly.
Then its up to you, you could either serve this on individual plates or one big platter ( no arguments about who got more this way!) , adorn your plates frivolously and decorate liberally with the jewel like pomegranate seeds and the refreshing mint.
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