The Heat Is On!

I love the summer; it's my favorite time of the year.  The only thing that I don't like about the summer is the heat interferes with my appetite.  For a food lover, the lost of appetite throws me off balance.  So as the temperatures climbed into the 100's last week, I wanted something fresh and light but pact with flavors that would wake my palate.  I bought some shrimps and squid so I decided to make a simple ceviche that allows me not to spend much time in the kitchen on a hot summer day.

I also want to add some mangoes which is one of my favorite fruits.  Then, I came across some Korean melons aka yellow melons at a Korean produce market.  Since I never had it before and I love all types of melons, with the exception of bitter melons, I thought it may add a hint of sweetness to the ceviche.  The taste of this melon is very similar to cantaloupe but not as sweet.  I also love Chinese celery.  It has a much stronger celery flavor than the regular celery.  It's usually used in Chinese stir-fry.  I though it would add a crunchy texture to this dish.

Shrimp and Squid Ceviche
1 lb of large shrimp (14-16 count) clean and deveined
1 lb of squid (cut in rings)
1 cup of mango (fine dice or brunoise)
1/2 cup of Korean melon (fine dice or brunoise)
1/4 cup of Chinese celery (fine dice or brunoise)
3 lemons (about 1/2 to 3/4 cup of lemon juice)
Zest of 2 lemons
1/2 tspn of Sriracha chili sauce*
1 tbsp of chopped cilantro
Sea salt to taste

Poaching liquid
3 cups of seafood stock
1 tbsp of fish sauce*
6 pieces of sliced ginger
1 bunch of scallions (5-6 pieces white part only)
1 tbsp of Shaoxing wine* (or you can substitute with Sherry)
1 bay leaf
*You can find these ingredients in Asian markets and may also find them in the Asian aisle of your local supermarket.

Put all poaching liquid ingredients in a pot and bring to a boil.  Lower the heat then add shrimp and stir for a minute until just turn pink.  Then add squid, cook for about 30 seconds.  Stir and take it off the heat let the seafood seep in the liquid for another minute; then drain and let cool.  Once the seafood is cool, combine with the remaining ingredients of mango, melon, celery, lemon juice, lemon zest, Sriracha and season with sea salt.  Mix well and refrigerates for at least a few hours.  Add the cilantro just before serving.

The seafood with the fruit and citrus juice taste so light, fresh and delicious!  It's the ideal summer food.  The best part, my appetite is back and the world is perfect again!