Tuna Ceviche

The past few weeks have been pretty good; I have, in fact, been VERY "satisfied with home." Things are starting to get back to normal around here, partly because we finally decided that we simply aren't going to allow other people's drama to negatively affect us anymore. I've realized that crazy people need each other in order to feel normal, and I can't let anyone's craziness continue to bother me. I'm awesome and above all that (at least, according to my friend Stephanie I am!). 

Jerad and I have been doing a lot of cooking together so far this summer, which is always a kind of therapy for us. I've been stopping for groceries each day after work, and we start dinner as soon as I get home...after a cocktail first, of course. Tonight, for example, Jerad took the supper reins and grilled shrimp & zucchini. For dessert, he grilled peach halves & topped them with cinnamon butter. This man sure knows the way to my heart. DAMN, HOW I LOVE HIM!

I was in charge of dinner last night. Because I'm too delicate to grill in the 100+ degrees St. Louis humidity, I made a lighter meal indoors...

Tuna Ceviche

slightly adapted from

Rick Bayless's Mexico - One Plate at a Time

makes 8 servings

1 pound fresh, sushi-grade tuna, cut into 1/2-inch dice
1 1/2 cups freshly-squeezed lime juice
1 medium white onion, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
2 medium-large tomatoes (about 1 pound), chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
1-2 jalapenos, stemmed, seeded & finely chopped
1/3 cup chopped parsley (or cilantro)
1/3 cup chopped pitted green olives
1 garlic clove, minced
1 to 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon Kosher or sea salt
1/4 teaspoons freshly-ground black pepper
3 tablespoons freshly-squeezed orange juice
1 large ripe avocados, peeled, pitted & diced
tortilla chips, for serving

• In a 1 1/2-quart glass or stainless steel bowl, combine the fish, lime juice, & onion. Use enough juice to cover the fish & allow it to float freely; too little juice means unevenly "cooked" fish. 
• Cover and refrigerate for about 4 hours, until a cube of fish no longer looks raw when broken open. (We only let our marinate for an hour, because we wanted our tuna more on the raw side.) Drain the fish in a colander.
• In a large bowl, mix together the tomatoes, jalapenos, parsley, olives, garlic, & olive oil. Stir in the fish and season with salt & pepper. Add the orange juice. 
• Cover and refrigerate if not serving immediately. Just before serving, gently stir in the diced avocado.

NOTE: The fish may be marinated a day in advance; after about 4 hours, when the fish is "cooked," drain it so that it won't become too tangy. For the freshest flavor, add the flavorings to the fish no more than a couple of hours before serving.