Chef Rick Bayless shares some family-friendly Cinco de Mayo options
CHICAGO -- The James Beard Foundation Awards are just a couple days away... and in honor of the 30th anniversary James Beard Award Winning Frontera Grill, Chef Rick Bayless stopped by to share a ceviche recipe and family friendly Cinco De Mayo options!
To mark the 30th anniversary of Frontera Grill, Chef Rick Bayless is partnering with Family Farmed to throw the Good Food party of the year! On Sunday, April 30, from 5:30 - 8:30 p.m. at the Modern Wing at the Art Institute of Chicago, the celebratory evening will feature renowned chefs from around the globe along with an inspirational forum exploring the Good Food movement. This celebration will be a memorable precursor to the James Beard Foundation Awards the following day.
The Frontera Farmer Foundation is a non-profit founded by Rick and his wife with the sole purpose of giving grants to Midwest family farms. Created out of their concern for struggling farmers and the importance of local produce to the vitality of Chicago's culinary culture, the foundation has given away nearly $2 million to family farms since its inception.
Most people know Rick Bayless from winning the title of Bravo's Top Chef Masters. His highly rated Public Television Series, Mexico-One Plate at a Time, has wrapped its 11th season and is broadcast coast to coast. In 2012, Rick was nominated for a Daytime Emmy for Best Culinary Host. Rick has nine cookbooks.
Rick's side by side award-winning restaurants are in Chicago. The casual Frontera Grill was founded in 1987 and received the James Beard Foundation's highest award, Outstanding Restaurant, in 2007. Rick has received a great number of James Beard Award nominations in many categories, and he has won seven: Midwest Chef of the Year, National Chef of the Year, Humanitarian of the Year, Who's Who of American Food and Drink, Best Podcast, plus two for his cookbooks.
Frontera Grill's Now-Classic Ceviche
Ceviche Fronterizo
Servings: 6 to 8 as a starter
Ingredients
1 pound "sashimi-quality" skinless meaty ocean fish fillet (halibut, snapper and bass are great choices), cut into 1/2-inch cubes
About 1 cups fresh lime juice
1 small white onion, chopped into 1/4-inch pieces
Hot green chiles to taste (roughly 2 or 3 serranos or 1 large jalapeño), stemmed and roughly chopped
cup green olives, preferably manzanillos
1 large (about 10-ounces)ripe tomato, cored, seeded (if you wish) and cut into 1/4-inch pieces OR 1/4 cup (lightly packed, about 1 ounce) soft sundried tomatoes, chopped into 1/8-inch pieces
small jicama, peeled and chopped into 1/4-inch pieces (optional, but suggested if using sundried tomatoes)
cup (loosely packed) chopped fresh cilantro (thick bottom stems cut off)
2 tablespoons olive oil, preferably extra-virgin
Salt
1 teaspoon sugar
About 16ounces of sturdy tortilla chips or 3- to 4-inch tostadas (preferably chips or tostadas from a local tortillería), for serving
Instructions
1."Cook" the fish in the lime juice. In a large stainless steel or glass bowl, combine the fish, lime juice and onion. The fish should float freely in the juice; if not, add a little more. Cover and refrigerate until the fish is as "done" as you like: An hour or so for medium-rare, 3 to 4 hours for "cooked" all the way through. Tip off the lime juice-sad to say that it's fishy tasting at this point and can't be easily used for any other preparation.
2.Flavor the ceviche. In a mini food processor, process the green chile and olives until finely chopped (or finely chopped by hand). Add to the fish along with the tomato, optional jícama, cilantro and olive oil. Stir well, then season with salt (usually about a scant teaspoon) and sugar. Refrigerate until ready to serve-preferably no longer than an hour or two.
3.Working Ahead: The fish can be marinated in lime and completely drained (even if you're going to add back some of the juice) early in the day you're going to serve; cover tightly and refrigerate. All the vegetables and the cilantro can be prepped, mixed, covered and refrigerated early in the day, too. Mix and season the ceviche within two hours of serving; keep it refrigerated until the last moment.
