My brother Ben has written his first of what will hopefully be many articles in publications. This one is on ceviche. I’ve transposed the article with images for easier reading. Here is the PDF, if you want it.
I have a small obsession with turning everything I can get my hands on into ceviche. To me, something great can happen with the simple cooking process of marinating in citrus juice. I have tried everything from creamy-style cobia with horseradish to scallops with grapefruit and even mushrooms with orange and lemon juice. There’s no stopping once you start. Just a little know-how, and you’re well on your way.
I guess my ceviche fetish was natural. Having grown up on the Gulf of Mexico, my family and I ate fish for every meal, sometimes even for snacks. In 2003, I was on vacation in Mexico, and my brother-in-law and I wandered off the beaten path. We stumbled across a small grass hut about 20 feet or so off the beach. There was a gentleman taking snapper he had just caught not even an hour before and tossing it with fresh squeeze of lime, cilantro, spicy chili and fresh tomatoes. Needless to say, from that experience, I couldn’t look back.
Now, ceviche is a cooking process, but you’re simply marinating in citrus juice. Think of it as a process similar to pickling. The acid does not actually cook the ingredient, so when using fish, make sure it’s the freshest available. It’s probably best if it’s still swimming. I find that most fish, like snapper, tilapia, corvine (sea bass) and salmon are best for marinating right before serving. Others, like cobia and swordfish, need a little more time to marinate. The origins of the word likely come from the word “escabeche,” which is Spanish for marinade. Ceviche, the process itself, is likely to have originated in Peru. The typical garnish in Peru for a ceviche will be a cancha (tossed kernels of maize) or slices of sweet potato. In Ecuador, you’ll see it served with popcorn, which is my favorite garnish. In Mexico, ceviche is usually served with tomatoes. In addition to being found in South and Central America, ceviche can be ordered in the Philippines. Filipinos call the dish “kinilaw,” and it’s very similar to Latin American styles.
Currently at Eclipse di Luna, I offer a salmon ceviche with lime, mint, cucumber, avocado, crispy yucca and sea salt. I chose salmon because it’s a healthy, versatile fish, and I can eat it any way it’s prepared. My garnishes and condiments are nowhere near traditional, but they compliment the salmon very well. When I’m composing a dish, I usually like to play with familiar flavors I know work well together. After all, cooking is supposed to be fun. I use lime juice as the citrus that cooks the salmon. The cucumber adds a cool freshness. The avocado adds richness, and the yucca serves as a crispy garnish.
Ben McPherson is the executive chef at Eclipse di Luna. 764 Miami Circle. 404-846-0449. www.eclipsediluna.com.
SALMON CEVICHE (Serves 4)
Ingredients
1 pound salmon, fresh (preferably wild caught Alaskan salmon)
2 limes
6 mint leaves
1 cucumber
1 avocado
1 yucca root
Sea Salt (preferably Maldon)
Oil for frying (preheated to 350 degrees F)
Instructions
Using a vegetable peeler, peel the yucca as you would a carrot. Using a mandolin or a slicer, slice the yucca lengthwise into 1/8-inch strips. Rinse sliced yucca in cold water, and pat dry with a towel. Using a couple of strips at a time, fry the yucca in the preheated oil until crispy (about 1 minute)
Place yucca on a towel to drain, sprinkle with sea salt and set aside.
Slice cucumber 1/8-inch thick using a knife or mandolin. Place in a container until ready to use. Dice salmon into 1/2-inch thick squares, and keep refrigerated until ready to use. Squeeze lime into a blender with the mint. Puree until smooth.
When ready, toss the salmon with the lime mint puree and a pinch of sea salt. Place 6 slices of cucumber on a chilled plate in a circle overlapping each other. Place a fourth of the salmon mixture on top. Cut avocado in half, core and remove the pulp from the skin with a spoon. Slice avocado lengthwise. Place this atop the salmon mixture. Garnish with the yucca and a little more sea salt.
Serve immediately.
If you like this site why not buy us a beer. Just $2.Tags: ben mcpherson, ceviche, eclipse di luna, salmon
The 15th case of mad cow in Canada since 2003 has been discovered. Remember that hoardes of Korean citizens took to the streets this past summer because three cases were found in the U.S. since–well, all time. And Korea has resumed trade negotiations with Canada to import beef again.
So, we can expect 15x the hoardes candlelighting Canada now? Ya think, eh?
If you like this site why not buy us a beer. Just $2.The ZenKimchi Food Journal has a new design, which was way overdue. The last redesign was a couple of years ago. We are also on a faster and more stable server (hopefully). This move has been in the works since January with a few futile attempts. Moving three large blogs–you’d think it’d be easier. Nothing went smoothly, and I’m still fixing little things that got loose during the move.
The design is a variation of Aspire by Info Creek. I changed the color to a greenish olive hue, similar to the old web site and replaced some of the Victorian elements with Korean ones, including some hangeul on the left margin and lotus flowers in the sidebars. The kimchi pots from the old design found their way in this one, too. The ZenKimchi Korean Food Journal logo also got a little update.
Here are some new features:
In the meantime, please help me find all the bugs. I have noticed that a lot of posts went squirrely during the move. The hangeul 한글 turned into who-knows-what, and weird symbols pop up every now and then. If you come across a page that has a problem please leave a note in its comment section, and I will fix it.
Enjoy the new ZenKimchi Korean Food Journal!
If you like this site why not buy us a beer. Just $2.Our friend Grace Park of Crazy Korean Cooking has passed round one and is in the running to be on the next season of The Next Food Network Star.
Check out her audition video and wish her luck!
If that link doesn’t work, go to The Next Food Network Star site and look for the Crazy Korean Cooking video.
If you like this site why not buy us a beer. Just $2.Hey, I know the Korean blogosphere was going nuts over President-elect Obama saying, “Annyeong haseyo” to a Korean supporter. But I’m more impressed that he expressed a liking of bulgogi and kimchi when he talked to President Lee Myung-bak on Friday.
If you like this site why not buy us a beer. Just $2.Looks like we have another Mexican offer in Seoul, and we’re getting much better than the days when Pancho’s was the only sad option out there. SpicySteve of SeoulSteves has his take on it and claims it even beats out last year’s ex-pat fave On The Border and is reasonably priced.
If you like this site why not buy us a beer. Just $2.When I ride above-ground transportation through Korea, I like to play a game where I read as many Korean signs as I can before they pass by. As a result, my reading speed is about at the level of a five-year-old’s. On the bus home from work last week, I caught this sign at the corner of my eye.
Did I see that right? Yang-gogi?? Lamb?? Now, in the past, I’ve seen some restaurants advertise “Yang Gobchang 곱창” which has nothing to do with meat that bleats. So I was ready for disappointment. But then I noticed the cartoon lamb on the sign.
The next day, I mentioned it to my boss when he suggested going for beer after work. Chris, Chris and I walked from work Friday evening to this place I spotted. It looked more and more like it was an honest to goodness lamb restaurant. The plants outside indicated that it was new. When we walked inside, the smell confirmed it.
Get ready for some lamby goodness!
Now, generally, I have heard from Koreans that lamb is not a popular meat. Too gamey. They don’t raise sheep here, so it’s all imported from New Zealand. It’s a very foreign meat. You’d might as well put a zebra on the grill.
Despite this assumption, the place was packed. The location is in Indeogwon in northeast Anyang, otherwise known as the “Ajosshi Playground” because it’s where the government workers in nearby Gwacheon go to have some good times–and they must really enjoy getting massages from blind people, considering that’s the dominant business in that area.
The other pleasant treat at this restaurant, Jogicheon Yang-gogi 조기촌 양고기 (Ph. 031-457-8800), was that the prices were highly reasonable, ranging from 10,000 to 18,000 won per person for grilled meat. The basic “Lamb chop with soy sauce and herb,” 250g for 10,000 won, was the best deal.
I’ve said it many times before. Lamb has been begging for a Korean interpretation. It’s the perfect marriage. Sometimes when you get “lamb” in Korea, it’s mutton. But this meat was clean and subtle in flavor. It was real lamb. The marinade enhanced its natural taste rather than cover it up. Even better, this was sutbul gui 숫불 구이, meaning it was cooked over charcoals at the table and not over plain gas.
The side dishes stood out too. We went there two nights in a row, and most all the dishes had changed. Nothing was mediocre. The lamb also comes with a honey mustard and a smokey hot sauce for dipping.
The menu tries to incorporate lamb in a hearty handful of traditional Korean dishes, including Galbi Jjim 갈비 찜, Jeongol 전골, and, can you believe it, Yuk Hui 육회–Korea’s steak tartare.
We ordered the Yuk Hui on the second night, and it was one of those times when Jennifer (Fatman Seoul) did one of her faces that looked like something naughty was going on in her brain. Rob (Roboseyo) liked it too. Again, it was clean, freshly made and only had a subtle lamb flavor. The sauce was fruity with a slight hint of heat. It’s the closest lamb has come to being dessert. (Hopefully Jen will send me the picture she took soon.)
To get there, head to Indeogwon Station (line 4) and head south along the right side of the road. Turn right at the river. It’s on the second floor.
If you like this site why not buy us a beer. Just $2.Longtime Korea gadfly Michael Breen has posted a great tongue-in-cheek rundown of how Korea will be in 2068. Despite the head-scratching political overtones (”Many, including Korea, have adopted a flat tax regime”) and ironic cheerleading of its published source (”The Coryo Times, formerly known as the Korea Times, is the most widely read newspaper in the country and the leading daily in East Asia”), it’s particularly entertaining towards the end, where it comes to dining life.
The Korean diet has changed somewhat in recent decades and Koreans have developed a taste for what was once considered foreign food. Most small towns have Indian, Thai, Ethiopian and Lebanese restaurants.
With the departure of the Blue House to Gaeseong, the area around the old Gyeongbok Palace in Seoul is now a vibrant restaurant center featuring every type of cuisine imaginable. Several of the world’s top chefs work there and at any given time, two or three establishments feature in the Hankook Tire Guide’s list of top 20 restaurants in the world.
Pretty funny!
If you like this site why not buy us a beer. Just $2.
Jonathan Gold writes a small gushing piece about Seoul’s Noryangjin Fish Market for Gourmet magazine.
If you like this site why not buy us a beer. Just $2.Tags: fish, gourmet, Korea, market, noryangjin
Okay, I’m getting a big crush on Grace. This time, she and Stephanie show you how to make Kimchi Bokkeumbap–and how to keep your hair from smelling like kimchi when cooking.
If you like this you should also check out CW’s Southern Style Kimchi Bokkeumbap.
If you like this site why not buy us a beer. Just $2.
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Joe McPherson - Creator/Author
Eun Jeong Lee - Research/Attitude
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