MANILA, Philippines—We often think of ceviche as the equivalent of our kinilaw, raw seafood steeped in vinegar and spices. In Mexico, however, the seafood used in their ceviche is precooked, according to chef Fernando Pulido, chef de cuisine of Aguamarina, the chic oceanfront restaurant of the newly opened Mandarin Oriental Riviera Maya in Mexico.

As part of the recent Mexican food festival at Mandarin Oriental’s Paseo Uno Restaurant, chef Fernando conducted a cooking class on Mexican cuisine at The Tivoli. Acapulco-style ceviche was one of the dishes he demonstrated. It’s a simple yet flavorful dish, great for serving as a first course or as part of a buffet meal.

Try this dish at home. It’s so easy to do. And because the shrimps have been blanched, you won’t have to worry about eating raw seafood.

Shrimp Ceviche Acapulco Style
4-5 servings
6 c water
1 tbsp salt
Few sprigs cilantro leaves
½ k medium shrimps (suaje), peeled, heads and tails removed
Ice

For the sauce
2/3 c tomato ketchup
1/3 c orange juice
1 tsp horseradish
1 medium-size onion, finely chopped
1 large or 2 small tomatoes, finely chopped
1 bunch (about 30 grams) cilantro (wansuy)
3 tbsp olive oil
2 large cloves garlic, chopped
Salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

To serve
1 avocado, sliced
Cilantro leaves
Fried tortilla chips

In a medium pot, bring water, salt and cilantro leaves to a rolling boil. Add the peeled shrimps and let boil for just 5-10 seconds or until the shrimps turn pinkish orange. Immediately remove shrimps from the water and transfer to a bowl of ice to cool.

Make the sauce. Blend together ketchup, orange juice and horseradish. Add onions, tomatoes and cilantro and mix well. Set aside.

Heat olive oil in a small pan and sauté garlic until it’s almost burned. Pour both the garlic and the olive oil into the ketchup-onion mixture and mix well. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

To serve: Divide the sauce equally in 4 to 5 individual serving bowls. Spoon some of the cooked shrimps into each bowl. Garnish with avocado slices and cilantro leaves. Serve with fried tortilla chips.

TIPS

Use a slotted spoon for lifting the shrimps from the boiling water so the liquid drips off. Do not overcook the shrimps so they don’t get tough.

If you don’t have horseradish, a good substitute for it would be a grainy mustard. (I found a small jar of horseradish at The Landmark supermarket in Makati.)

You can also use other seafood such as squid and white fish. However, if using fish, says chef Fernando, add vinegar to the boiling water so the fish doesn’t disintegrate.