19. Seafood Carpaccio

We are just back from visiting my parents in Bucerias, Mexico, where they have a home that serves as a sanctuary from rainy Vancouver winters.

While there we enjoyed plenty of fresh ripe papayas and mangos, avocados, tomatoes and cilantro. Our weekly trek to the Sunday open air market yielded us as much beautiful fresh queso panela as we could eat. What better setting for fish carpaccio is there?

My parents know when and where the fishermen come in and off we went in search of fresh Mahi Mahi (Dorado), a beautiful white fleshed fish. We learned how to make this from our friend Giovanni who is a sea captain, spearo, fisherman and cook all rolled into one. Below is his recipe:

To make the carpaccio use the 2 fillets that start at the head and run on the back
along the dorsal fin up to half the length of the fish. This is the best part of the fish. The rest of the flesh has lots of ligaments and is best cooked.

Freeze it for a few hours to tenderize the meat, kill any parasites, and make it
much easier to slice. Basically the thinner you cut the slices the earlier you can eat them and the more delicate and beautiful they are. About a 3mm thickness is a good compromise. Slice the fish and put the pieces in a non reactive container with plenty of lime juice. Leave it covered in the fridge for around 4 hours (the time is dependent on the acidity of the lime and the quantity of it). Basically you want the outer part of the slice to turn whitish because it has cooked in the lime juice.

Then you put the the fish in a fine sieve and gently squeeze/drain all the lime completely - you don't want it to be too sour or to continue cooking.

Mix plenty (I mean plenty!) of fine salt, good olive oil and freshly ground pepper with the fish. Gently mix the whole lot together and lay the slices on a large flat serving dish.

Now the important part.

Be patient. Although it is technically ready don't eat it right away! If you leave it for at least an hour or two in the serving dish the enzymes unleash their power and the salt, lime, fish juices and olive oil react magically together to produce a delightful treat.

Giovanni assures me that salmon carpaccio is also delicious, and I will definitely try it when salmon is abundant. Meanwhile, my parents are bringing a Mahi Mahi back with them from Mexico and we're planning carpaccio as an opener for Christmas dinner.