First get the fish...

It's APRIL! And that means EASTER.

For our Easter Menu all week Chef Claudia created a special lineup of dishes that typical Mexicans would do for a special occasion such as this. Easter, of course being one of the 'mas grande' holidays in Mexico. The menu started with Coastal Ceviche and for that you need the freshest fish possible! While we normally do the bulk of our shopping in the Cancun Market 23 every Monday, this would not do for the Ceviche. It's got to have fish caught that day or just the day before.

Lucky for us, in Puerto Morelos, there's a thriving fishing economy.
Every day, sometime between 2pm and 5pm when the boats come in, you can head to the dock and see what's on the offing. Yesterday I managed to get Barracuda -one of the best fish to use for Ceviche. Other fish that are good to use are: boquinete, robalo, red snapper or pargo. All you need are a few Spanish words to negotiate your price... and make sure he scales and fillets it. Of course Lucy, our Chef Assistant showed me how to skin and fillet some red snapper last week for another menu, so I can manage. But it's a nice touch (and a savings of time) if the fisherman will do it for you. More time left over for the beach!

Coastal Ceviche
~Ceviche Costeno Serves between 4 and 8 depending on serving size
Ingredients
2 pounds fresh fish of the season, filletted
.5 Cup coconut milk
1 piece gingerroot, Thumb size, peeled, grated
1 lemon peel shredded
Juice of 9 limes
.5 onion finely chopped
2 tomatoes peeled, seeded, chopped
4 spoons olive oil
2 spoons white vinegar
2 Serrano chiles seeded and chopped
3 sprigs cilantro

Directions
Dice the fish.
Marinate in a bowl with the limes, ginger and coconut milk 4 hours or overnight.
Add remainder of ingredients, stir to mix and garnish with cilantro. Serve on ice cold plates

¡Buen provecho