Crab Ceviche and Halibut Fish Tacos

Crab Ceviche
Ingredients:

3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
Dash Tabasco
1 pound jumbo lump crabmeat, picked through to remove any bits of shell or cartilage
½ bunch scallions, thinly sliced on the bias
Leave from ½ bunch cilantro
½ bunch chives, thinly sliced
½ yellow or red tomato, diced
1 seeded jalapeño pepper, diced
½ red onion, diced
1 avocado, thinly sliced
Coarse salt to taste

Method:
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the lime juice, and Tabasco. Add the crabmeat, scallions, cilantro, chives, tomato, jalapeño and red onion and mix gently until blended. Season to taste with salt and refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving. Serve with tortilla chips and sliced avocado.

Esquites
Ingredients:

Butter – 4 tbs
Onion – ½ ea small diced
Corn – 6 ears of yellow corn cut of the cob
Corn stock – 3 cups
Epazote – 10 ea leafs, chiffonade
Mayonnaise – ½ cup
Queso Fresco – 2 cups
Chile Pequin – 1 tbs
Limes – 3 ea
Salt – TT

Method:
Cut all the corn off the cob with you chef’s knife. Make sure you do not cut to deep into the cob, you just want fresh corn and not the cob. Set aside the corn and make a corn stock with the cobs by placing them in a pot and cover with 2 quarts of water. Bring up to a boil and then turn heat down to a simmer. Cook for one hour. Strain the stock and set aside.

Sweat the onion in butter on low heat for five minutes. You do not want any color on the onions. Add the corn and cook for twenty minutes until the corn is tender. Add 3 cups of corn stock to the pot and reduce by ½. Season with salt and fold in epazote.

Halibut Fish Tacos
Chipotle Remoulade
Ingredients:

1 can chipotle peppers, pureed
2 c mayo
¼ c lime juice
½ bunch scallions, chopped fine
½ bunch chives, chopped fine
Salt and pepper, to taste
1/6 bunch parsley

Method:
Puree chipotles with the lime juice. In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients. Taste and adjust seasoning.

Plantain Crust
Ingredients:

20 green plantains, sliced
2 tbsp salt
OR use store-bought plantain chips, such as Goya Brand

Method:
Peel and slice green plantains very thin on mandolin. Deep fry at 375 degrees until golden brown. Remove from oil, season, and drain on mesh screens or papyrus trays. When thoroughly cooled, process in a food processor to a coarse grind.

Red Cabbage
Ingredients:

2 heads red cabbage
½ gallon white vinegar
2 c sugar
2 c water

Method:
Shred cabbage very fine on slicer. Place in non-reactive plastic container. Add salt and sugar to vinegar, and then pour evenly over cabbage. Pickle for one day, covered and refrigerated.

Halibut
Ingredients & Method:

10 oz halibut, cut into 2 oz portions. Bread the halibut by dipping the 2 oz portions into flour, beat egg and crushed plantain chips (in that order). Deep fry the halibut in vegetable oil at 350 degrees for 3- 4 minutes. Remove from oil, season, and drain on mesh screens or papyrus trays.