mango

I’m so excited to announce a year-long partnership with the National Mango Board next several months, I’ll be releasing 3 more recipes featuring juicy mangos in a variety of styles. First up: Mango Ceviche 2 Ways! One is more traditional using raw fish, inspired by my recent trip to Mexico, and one is a plant-based alternative using fresh young coconut meat in place of fish. Both recipes are equally delicious. The coconut in the plant-based version substitutes for the fish in appearance and texture really nicely.

For this recipe, I used Honey, or Ataulfo, mangos, which are in peak season March through June. This variety of mango is sweet and creamy. You can tell when your honey mango, and all mangos for that matter, is ripe when it slightly gives when you squeeze it. For either of the ceviches, you’ll want to cut your mangos into bite-sized cubes. If you’re wondering the best way to do that, here’s a great video that shows you how to cut a mango. One cup of mango provides 100% of daily Vitamin C, which plays an important role in immune function. You can learn more at mango.org. And honestly, eating mango just makes me feel happy inside. Mangos are like edible sunshine!

If you’ve never cut open a fresh young coconut, I highly suggest watching a few YouTube videos, like this one, before attempting on your own. It should be relatively easy after you get the hang of it, but it’s also easy to feel intimidated by the whole thing at first. Once the coconut is opened, reserve the fresh coconut water and then use a spoon to scoop out the white flesh. There really is nothing better than drinking the coconut water that comes from these young coconuts, so either drink up as you make the ceviche or save in an airtight jar to drink later.

For the fish version, I recommend using the freshest possible fish you can find. I used sushi-grade bigeye tuna and opah, but this recipe would be delicious with striped bass, snapper, cod, halibut or shrimp. The acid from the citrus juice in essence “cooks” the fish. So keep this in mind when marinating your fish. 10-15 minutes for medium rare. 15-25 minutes for medium. 25 minutes for medium-well. And so on. I personally like mine medium rare, so I marinated for 13 minutes.

[This post is sponsored by the National Mango Board. However, all thoughts and opinions are my own.]

Plant-based Mango-Coconut Ceviche
[Serves 4-6]

2 ⅓ cup fresh young coconut meat, chopped into bite size pieces (meat from about 4 small coconuts)
¼ cup lime juice
¼ cup lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
⅓ cup thinly sliced red onion, tightly packed
¼ cup cilantro, roughly chopped
1 ⅓ cup honey mango, cubed
1 large avocado, cubed
1 small-medium Serrano pepper, thinly sliced (optional)
2 tablespoons puffed black rice (If you’ve never puffed grains in a pan without oil, read this.)
Salt and black pepper, to taste

1.) Open young coconuts (see notes on opening young coconuts at beginning of this post) using a large, sharp knife. Once opened, reserve water. Use a spoon to scrape out coconut meat. Cut into bite-size pieces

2.) In a large bowl, marinate young coconut meat, red onion and salt in lemon + lime juice for 30-45 minutes.

3.) While coconut meat is marinating, heat a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Once the pan is hot (very hot, almost smoking, but not quite), toss in the black rice. Leave enough room, so rice is in a single layer and had enough room to move around. Shake the pan from time to time so rice doesn’t burn. Once you hear the rice pop, it’s done. Usually 2ish minutes. Be careful not to burn. Set aside to cool.

4.) Lightly toss in cilantro, mango and avocado with coconut meat and red onion to coat. Season to taste with salt and black pepper. Top with thinly sliced Serrano pepper and sprinkle with puffed black rice. Serve immediately.

________________________________________________

Mango-Avocado Tuna Ceviche
[Serves 4-6]

16 oz sushi-grade fish (I used ½ opah, ½ bigeye tuna), cut into 1/2-inch cubes
¼ cup lime juice
⅓ cup thinly sliced red onion, tightly packed
¼ cup cilantro, roughly chopped
1 ⅓ cup honey mango, cubed
1 large avocado, cubed
1 small-medium Serrano pepper, thinly sliced (optional)
2 tablespoons puffed black rice (If you’ve never puffed grains in a pan without oil, read this.)
Salt and black pepper, to taste

1.) Using a very sharp knife, cut the tuna into neat 1/2-inch cubes. Transfer the cubed tuna to a medium bowl and stir in the red onion and lime juice. Let marinate for 10-25 minutes depending on how “cooked” you like your fish (see notes at beginning of this post).

3.) While fish is marinating, heat a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Once the pan is hot (very hot, almost smoking, but not quite), toss in the black rice. Leave enough room, so rice is in a single layer and had enough room to move around. Shake the pan from time to time so rice doesn’t burn. Once you hear the rice pop, it’s done. Usually 2ish minutes. Be careful not to burn. Set aside to cool.

3.) Once fish is marinated, lightly toss in cilantro, mango and avocado to coat. Season to taste with salt and black pepper. Top with thinly sliced Serrano pepper and sprinkle with puffed black rice. Serve immediately.