Shrimp and Halibut are marinated by soaking in lime juice as a lunch, appetizer, or snack. They are mixed with carrots and tomatoes and served on fiery tostadas topped with habanero crema. It is possible to have the crema prepared beforehand, but you must make the tostadas right before serving to ensure they stay fresh. Make use of any leftover crema drizzled over tacos or grilled corn.
Ingredients
Ceviche
- 1 1 lb skinless Halibut or snapper fillets broken into pieces of 1/4 inch (about two-and-a-half cups)
- 1 1 pound large shrimp removed, deveined, peeled, and cut into pieces of 1/2-inch
- 1 cup fresh lime juice (from 8 limes), plus lime wedges, for serving
- 1 1/2 cups chopped cherry tomatoes
- 1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
- One medium carrot, finely chopped (about 1/3 cup)
- 1/3 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
- Two serrano chilies with seeds stemmed and seeded with very finely chopped (about two tablespoons)
- One tablespoon of acceptable sea salt
Habanero Crema
- 1 to 2 fresh habanero chiles
- 1/2 teaspoon grated lime zest plus one tablespoon fresh lime juice
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup mayonnaise
Additional Ingredients
- 12 corn tostada shells
- One large avocado, thinly sliced
Directions
Create the ceviche
- Mix shrimp, fish, and lime juice in a glass or stainless steel dish. Refrigerate and cover until the outside of the shrimp and fish become transparent, around 20 minutes. Drain, keeping half a cup of lime juice. Return the fish, shrimp, and the lime juice reserved to the bowl. Mix in onions, tomatoes, carrots, serrano chiles, and salt. Keep covered and refrigerate until the flavors blend around 20 minutes.
While you’re at it, prepare the habanero crema.
- With tongs, place the habanero’s stem by its thorns directly on the gas stove top over medium-high (or refer to the note for instructions on broiling). Cook, rotating frequently until the char is evenly distributed and softened, around 2 minutes. Allow to cool for about 2 minutes. Take the stem off. Pulse habanero lime juice, zest, and black pepper into a processor till it is finely chopped, around five pulses. Scrape down the sides of the bowl whenever necessary. Add mayonnaise and process until smooth, around 45 seconds. Add salt as desired. Cover and let chill until you are the time to serve.
- Spread around 1 1/2 tablespoons of habanero sauce on each tortilla. Then, top each with a generous half cup of ceviche and decorate with slices of avocado. Serve right away by adding lime wedges.