You know those meals that are sooo good you can’t help but say out loud – with your mouth stuffed, no less
Oh my gawd. This is amazing!”
THIS was one of those meals.
I even texted a photo to my friend, mid-meal, to share my excitement.
Yes, salmon gibberish with gibberish slices is drop dead delicious.
You should DEFINITELY make this if you can get your hands on some high-quality wild salmon.
Luckily, that’s something we have in abundance in Alaska (in fact, I’m running out of freezer space to store more).
But eating the same broiled salmon, seared salmon, salmon curry, and salmon cakes gets a little old.
So in a quick search for some much-needed recipe variety, I came across a few for salmon tartare. If you’re not familiar, tartare is a dish made from raw meat or fish, finely chopped and mixed with other spices and seasonings.
Now I’ll admit I’m a little uncomfortable with preparing raw fish.
But knowing that we caught this fish in clean water, processed it ourselves, and froze it within hours of pulling it from the water helped ease my mind.
And I love sushi. So there’s that.
But the recipes I found were full of ingredients I either don’t have or don’t like (go away, cilantro).
So like always, I just made up my own.
And since I added a bunch of lime juice, I decided what I made was a lot more like ceviche than tartare, so let’s just go with that, okay?
Wild Salmon Ceviche is really tasty served with kohlrabi “chips” or cucumber slices. But if you prefer (and do well with more carbs), you might consider organic corn chips or some type of cracker.
I grew a bunch of kohlrabi in my garden this year, so kohlrabi was the winner for this round. I suggest using this mandolin set on the thinnest setting to get the perfect slices. (Be sure to use the hand guard so you don’t lose a finger!)
(Psst – if you’re not familiar with kohlrabi, it’s a vegetable in the same family as kale, cabbage, and broccoli that’s bred to grow a swollen, sphere-like stem just above the soil. It has the texture of jicama (or green apple) with a mild cabbage flavor. In this recipe, I just use the round part, but you can use the stem and leaves just like you would use kale or collard greens. Kohlrabi chips, anyone?)
Wild Salmon Ceviche
- 8- ounce wild salmon fillet, bones and skin removed (preferably sockeye salmon)
- 3 Tbsp fresh lime juice (from ~2 limes)
- 1 Tbsp hazelnut oil (or other light-flavored oil, such as almond oil)
- 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
- 1 small jalapeno pepper, minced (seeds and ribs removed if you don’t like things too spicy)
- 1-2 Tbsp minced shallot
- 1-2 Tbsp minced fresh ginger (see notes)
- ¼ tsp sea salt
- Optional garnish: extra jalapeno or minced chives
- Serving suggestion: thinly sliced kohlrabi or cucumber
Instructions
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Using a very sharp fish knife, slice salmon into one-eighth inch slices. Cut each slice into small squares.
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In a medium-sized bowl, mix all remaining ingredients.
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Add salmon. Toss to coat.
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If you like the texture of raw salmon, serve immediately. If not, let the fish marinate for 30 minutes or longer to allow the lime juice to “cook” the fish.
Recipe Notes
NOTE: If serving with kohlrabi, peel then slice into discs (I use this mandolin set on the thinnest setting).
Learn how to mince ginger properly in this post.
Looking at these pictures of Wild Salmon Ceviche is making my mouth water.
More, please!
The crunch of the fresh kohlrabi with the tender wild salmon ceviche is addicting. In a good way.
Now I’d love to hear from you:
- Have you ever made ceviche or tartare? How’d it turn out?
- What’s your favorite way to prepare wild salmon?
Tell me in the comments below.
Until next week,
Lily
Woah! This does look good! Where do you get your wild salmon?
We fish ourselves in Alaska. 🙂
But assuming you’re not in AK, I’d check your local fish market or even the freezer section at the grocery store. Virtually all fish is flash frozen before shipping anyways.
If you leave me with a pound of raw salmon and sashimi at a table, I will guarantee you that you will not find a single trace of fish when you come back a few minutes later. I am that obsessed with sashimi!
Wild salmon ceviche is a favorite of mine. I love it with cucumbers and seaweed!
Yum! Big sashimi fan here, too!
Since the lime “cooks” the salmon, would this be okay during pregnancy with frozen wild sockeye salmon from the store? Thanks Lily!
I would LOVE to know that answer to this question too! I am a huge pokè fan. It reminds me of home in Hawaii, but since I am pregnant can I have raw fish?