Mug Shot: how to make Milagro’s tuna ceviche
At fiesta-primed Milagro, the tuna ceviche is splendour in a glass
Upscale Mexican food in Toronto was pretty much non-existent until Artura Anhalt and his brother Andrés swooped into town in 2006. Over the past four years, they’ve quietly built a culinary empire (three Milagro locations, plus the recently opened La Perla Cantina). While their cooking is modern, they keep things authentic, like serving saltines with their caper-laden tuna ceviche. Hoisting such an elegant dish on a humble cracker might seem sacrilegious, but that’s how it’s done at the beaches in Mexico, where the brothers grew up. For landlocked city dwellers, it a perfect zippy appetizer for backyard feasts.
Ingredients ¼ cup finely diced red onion ¼ cup finely diced sweet yellow pepper Sherry vinegar (to cover) White pepper to taste 14 oz skinless sashimi-grade yellowfin tuna loin, diced into ¼-inch cubes ¾ cup finely diced fresh tomatillos (about 4 small) ¾ cup finely diced English cucumber ¼ cup finely chopped fresh coriander ¼ cup lime juice (2 limes) 1 to 2 serrano chilies, finely diced (discard seeds for milder flavour) 3 tbsp drained capers 4 tsp extra-virgin olive oil 1 tsp dijon mustard Kosher salt to taste
Directions
1. In a large non-metallic bowl, stir together onion and sweet pepper. Add enough vinegar to cover vegetables. Season with white pepper to taste. Set aside to marinate at room temperature for 2 hours. Drain off the vinegar (reserve for making vinaigrettes).
2. Add remaining ingredients, stir gently and season to taste with salt and more white pepper. Divide among four half-pint beer mugs. Serve at once with saltine crackers and lime wedges.
Makes 4 servings
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