Seafood parfaits are perfection on a hot summer’s day. I love mine layered with Mexican ceviche, freshly made fruit salsas and crisp shredded lettuce. No stove or grill required because the fish is “cooked” with citrus juice.
Ceviche is popular around the world, especially in the coastal areas of South and Central America, Mexico and the Caribbean Islands. The classic recipe includes firm-fleshed fish such as talipia, shrimp, scallops, sea bass, petrale and mackerel cut into bit-sized pieces and marinated with lime or lemon juice and mixed with chiles. My ceviche calls for ½ pound of fish that when combined with salsa pico de gallo (chopped tomatoes, onion, chili cilantro, salt and pepper) produces enough for four to six seafood parfaits.
Gorgeous, flavorful salsas add depth, color and texture to the parfaits. I use three in mine: salsa pico de gallo, salsa de melon (cantaloupe) and salsa de aguacate (avocado and tomatillos). And no, you won’t be in the kitchen for hours. In fact, they are all ridiculously easy. Basically, chop, chop, chop, mix and spritz or blitz. Done.
The one thing that is absolutely critical to great salsas is fresh, ripe produce preferably from local farms or your garden. I’ll stop short of insisting that you avoid supermarket produce. But know that the hard, flavorless stuff found there will disappoint. Big-time.
Crunch comes from a small amount of shredded lettuce. I prefer Romaine in this particular parfait because the bright green color sets off the orange melon and white fish.
Assembling the parfaits is a breeze. Focus on color, texture and making sure that each bite offers an enticing blend of flavors. I want those at my table wowed from the moment they see their parfait until the very last morsel.
Pick a pretty glass—I love the simple elegance of a long-stemmed martini glass. The first ingredient you place in the glass will serve as the last bite, so I like to make it a delicious surprise: a lightly salted—few grains only—cantaloupe ball. Cool, sweet, salty, divine.
The trick to building the layers is not to overfill; a couple of tablespoons or less is best. That way each layer melds into the next, making each forkful a new taste experience.
How you layer the parfait is up to you. I sprinkle a bit of shredded lettuce over the cantaloupe ball, add some ceviche, the salsa de aguacate, more lettuce, ceviche, the salsa de melon and upward. I sprinkle the melon over the top because it’s pretty and helps those new to ceviche begin with the familiar.
I top my parfaits with homemade corn chips cut in long triangular shapes from tortillas. They a give a good crunch and soaring architectural look. If you live near a Mexican market, check out their chile-flavored purple, green and orange tortillas. They are delicious and fry up easily. If this is more than you can deal with, bagged chips are perfectly acceptable.
Summer won’t last forever. Grab a spoon and dig in!
Print a copy of the recipes for your convenience.
Salsa de Aguacate (avocado and tomatillo sauce).
You may also enjoy my illustrated, step-by-step instructions for making:
