I love ceviche, but it’s not something I get to eat too often. When I ran across this Salmon Ceviche with Mango recipe, I started wondering why I don’t make ceviche more often. It’s so simple and full of healthy things, and hubs and I both like it (he’s picky about fish). Yet the only ceviche recipe I have tried at home is the Strawberry Shrimp Ceviche Cocktail from way back in December 2021. I have been keeping an eye out for a sale on fresh salmon, and I found it this week. I found a nice big fillet for $30, and I decided to treat us to some homemade ceviche. Let’s find out if this South American-East Asian fusion recipe is as good as it looks!
Try this out-of-the-ordinary ceviche twist—salmon with mango and jalapeños. This ceviche has a wonderful flavor and is a perfect appetizer served with tortilla or plantain chips for scooping.
The Ingredients
All I had on hand for this recipe was soy sauce. That meant shopping for everything else, and things went well at my regular grocery store. I found all the produce, mirin, and chips.
They also had salmon fillets, but no skinned and porioned fillets. I wasn’t too fussed about that since they are more expensive than buying and skinning a fillet myself (sometimes as much as twice the cost!). Instead, I bought a large fillet and used the skills I learned in this tutorial on how to skin a salmon fillet. It only took a few minutes to do with a sharp fillet knife.
A Note About Eating Raw Fish
Quality seafood for ceviche is an absolute must for this recipe as ceviche isn’t cooked with heat. Fish, like any meat, can carry bacteria and parasites that are a risk to your health. That risk can be lessened, but it is always there. Buying good seafood from a trustworthy source, storing it properly, and eating it within a day are all good ideas.
Looking for sushi- or sashimi-grade fish is a great idea. Seafood with that label is deemed safer for raw consumption. While it’s an unregulated term, these grades are usually processed and frozen immediately after being caught as this type of seafood is meant to be eaten raw.
You might be asking yourself why I am recommending frozen seafood. Isn’t fresh best? Not necessarily. Freezing can kill bacteria and parasites, so it’s a good idea when you are not cooking it. But bear in mind that this is an unregulated term, and even with the greatest caution there is no guarantee that the fish will be 100% safe.
The Process
Ceviche isn’t cooked with heat. Instead, it’s cooked in a citrus juice marinade. To prepare it I skinned my salmon, chopped it into bite-sized cubes, and did a lot of juicing. Thank goodness I have an electric juicer! I ended up needing the juice of 3 oranges, 2 lemons, and 3 limes.
The salmon had to marinate for 20 minutes to 1 hour. I chose a time in the middle and marinated mine for 40 minutes.
Prepping the Remaining Ingredients
Forty minutes gave me more than enough time to prep the other ingredients, mix the dressing, and even clean up a bit. All of the slicing and dicing could have been accomplished with a chef's knife, but I had a couple of gadgets that made it even easier.
First, I used my mango corer to core and halve the mango in mere seconds. Then I was able to dice and slice the fruit away from the peels. I try not to buy single-purpose gadgets as my storage space is limited, but I’m glad I bought this one—I actually use it a lot, and it’s a real time-saver.
The other helpful gadget was my chili pepper corer. I used it to cut off the tops, seed, and core 2 jalapeno peppers in less than a minute. Then I was able to cut them into thin strips and then into small pieces.
Once the fish finished marinating, I drained it and dried it on a paper towel-lined plate. I also patted the top surface of the fish with paper towels to make sure it was really dried off. Then I mixed it with the other prepped ingredients and the dressing and gave it all a good stir before serving the ceviche in small dishes with a bowl of plantain chips.
Timing
This recipe lists 40 minutes to prep, 20 minutes to marinate, and a total time of 1 hour. I came in just a hair under that. Here’s how my time was spent:
- 12 minutes to prep the marinade
- 40 minutes to marinate
- 7 minutes to prep remaining ingredients
- 5 minutes to dry salmon and assemble
- 56 minutes total
