Once the temperature hits 90°F, my oven, stove top, and grill pretty much lay dormant until the heat breaks. It’s not great if my family wants hamburgers or pork chops for dinner, but I’m the cook and, unless someone else wants to step in, what I say generally goes.
Fortunately, I have a substantial stash of sushi-ready seafood in my freezer — say that 3 times fast — just waiting to be eaten with little more effort than a quick thaw and seasoning. Our seafood is blast-frozen in its most pristine state, which translates into delicious and safe raw fish on your plate. My absolute favorite preparations showcase the best qualities of wild-caught seafood without overpowering the flavor or altering the texture too much.
Take sockeye salmon, for example. Sockeye, a firm and assertive fish, is best served very thinly sliced, then drizzled with freshly squeezed lemon juice and good olive oil, and sprinkled with crunchy sea salt. A pinch of minced shallots or capers adds a bit of texture and bite. Called crudo (raw) in Italian, it’s delightful with thin breadsticks, flatbread crackers, or just eaten with a fork.
For something a bit more delicate and mild like coho, I might toss ¼-inch cubes with a hit of sesame oil, tamari, rice vinegar, and chopped scallions for poke or mix it with diced avocado and cucumbers for tartare and serve both right away with potato chips for scooping.
With white fish like rockfish, tuna, or halibut, I prefer ceviche. The acid — usually lime juice and/or vinegar — in the marinade denatures the proteins in the fish, much the way heat does, giving the fish a firmer texture and opaque color. The longer the ceviche marinates, the firmer the fish will be. You can eat it right away, or let it sit in the refrigerator for up to 2 hours, after which time the fish will become a bit mushy. My sweet spot is 15 to 30 minutes. I also like to add a bit of olive or avocado oil for buttery richness just before serving with tortilla chips or fried plantain chips.
It goes without saying that whichever way you prepare and consume raw seafood, the fish should be kept in the fridge until you’re ready to eat. Not only is it safer, but it’s more refreshing. And on a sweltering day, every little effort counts.
Stay cool and don’t cook (unless you really want to),
Grace
