Citrus juice 'cookin' raw fish

[redalert]

I hear that if you marinate raw fish in citrus juice it almost has the the effect of 'cooking' it without actually doing so.

Does anyone serve fish like this and do they know more about the chemical processes involved.

I'm more a fan of good, hearty brit pub grub but i'm looking to learn more about so called 'fusion' food.


Any tips or good websites that'll help me out?

Iain

[Cat Man]

It's the acid in citrus that provides the cooking aspect.
One could also use vinegar, papain (from papaya) and a number of other acidic ingredients.

I know a couple chefs who have actually used soda.

Basically we're talking about ceviche here, so if you google ceviche, you should find something scientific.

How much do you want to learn about it?

The Cat Man

[shel]

Originally Posted by redalert

I hear that if you marinate raw fish in citrus juice it almost has the the effect of 'cooking' it without actually doing so.

Does anyone serve fish like this and do they know more about the chemical processes involved.

I'm more a fan of good, hearty brit pub grub but i'm looking to learn more about so called 'fusion' food.

Iain

Pretty much what Cat Man said, although allow me to add a comment or two. This ain't "fusion" food. It's a method that's been used in Latin American and Central American cultures for generations, certainly since the time of the Incas and the Mayans. I'm not a food historian, but I do know it's been around a long, long time, perhaps since before there was anything to fuse <LOL>. I first learned about ceviche (sometimes spelled seviche or cebiche) when in Mexico for the first time in 1967.

Shel

[Blueicus]

It's not fusion, it's simply international (and yes, it basically describes a cold ceviche, primarily a Pervian/western South American thing). You may find that the comfort foods of other cultures to be a not-fru-fru and delicious treat as well.

I didn't know papain had the same effect as an acid... I thought the acid caused proteins to contract together while the papain simply breaks down bonds and tenderized/turned meats into mush.

[DC Sunshine]

Ditto all the above - but don't leave it in the acid too long, maybe 30 mins tops, or it breaks the protein down too much and the result is not good. Enjoy!

[Chad Aaland]

Originally Posted by DC Sunshine

Ditto all the above - but don't leave it in the acid too long, maybe 30 mins tops, or it breaks the protein down too much and the result is not good. Enjoy!

It actually has to "marinate" anywhere from 2-8 hours, otherwise it isn't "cooked".

[shel]

Originally Posted by Chad Aaland

It actually has to "marinate" anywhere from 2-8 hours, otherwise it isn't "cooked".

That's a good point - when I was down in Peru I lived in Pisco for a while, which is right on the ocean. There was an abundance of fresh fish, and you could buy it, literally, just off the boat and fresh caught. We'd go down to the beach and my hoast would pick a fish or two, clean and filet it on the spot, cut it up in appropriately sized chunks, add the ceviche ingredients, and we'd walk back to town, where we'd put the fish in the fridge for a couple of hours. My O my! Best durned ceviche I ever had! All in all, it was about a 2 1/2 - 3 hour process, depending on how long it took us to get back to his place.

Shel

[redalert]

Ok I stand corrected about the 'fusion' food thing.

I'm thinkin of askin to put on a special -carpaccio of scallops in grapefruit juice with a mango and basil salsa.

Chefs; does this sound paletable or just plain mingin'?

[DC Sunshine]

Originally Posted by Chad Aaland

It actually has to "marinate" anywhere from 2-8 hours, otherwise it isn't "cooked".

Oops - I stand corrected on the time. Was thinking more along the lines of a marinade before actually cooking

[castironchef]

Yumm.

Ceviche is one of my all-time favorite summer meals. Cool ceviche, warm tortilla chips, hot salsa and ice cold beer. Doesn't get much better.

[AprilB]

We lived in Antigua in Guatemala for a year. All the fresh caught fish and shellfish you could imagine. All of the little stands and restaurants had a variation of ceviche.

The 'recipe' there had a pico de gallo salsa flavor with seafood in it.

I've been able to replicate it easily by making a pico de gallo, tomato, onion, garlic, serrano with heavy lime and cilantro and salt adding lightly steamed chilled seafood to the mixture, letting it meld in the fridge for up to an hour.

You can use anything. Clams, shrimp, white fish, calamari, ...

April