ceviche charred corn & plantain chips

As soon as I tried this ceviche charred corn and plantain chips combo at the ICC open-house, I knew I had to try out their recipe at home someday! And today is the day. Continue reading for the full recipe. One note, fluke and flounder are the same exact fish – it’s just called fluke during the summer seasons and flounder during the winter seasons.

Ingredients: (Yields 4-6 portions)

• 1 pound fluke, skin off, diced into 1/2 inch cubes
• 1 cup fresh lime juice
• 1 cup clam juice
• 2 jalapenos sliced cross-wise
• 1/2 cup cilantro roughly chopped
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/3 red onion, finely julienned (after trying this recipe, I think dicing it might make for easier eating)
• 2 plum tomatoes, deseeded and medium diced
• 1 whole corn on the cob
• 2 quarts canola oil
• 2 green plantains

Directions:

1. Combine lime juice, clam juice, diced fluke, sliced jalapenos, and red onions in a bowl. Let marinate for about 3 hours in the fridge until fish looks opaque (off white) and cooked from the lime juice.
2. While the fluke is “cooking,” remove husk from corn and any threads remaining on the cob. Over an open flame (from the stove top burner), place the corn and let cook until all sides are charred. Remove from heat and let cool. Once cooled, hold cob upright and shave the corn with a knife, turning the cob 3 times around to remove all the corn kernels from the cob. Place in a bowl until further use.
3. Core the tomatoes and cut them in quarters lengthwise. Place the quartered piece on your cutting board, seed side up, use a small sharp knife to cut under the seeds, as close to the flesh as you can from one side to the other, proceed to dice the wedges to a medium cut and store in a bowl.
4. For the green plantains, place oil in a saucepot and turn on the burner to a low to medium heat. Trim and peel the plantain with a small knife. Cut slits on either side of the plantain, peel open and cut the plantain in half or thirds. Using a mandolin, slice them lengthwise until you get a piece that is approximately 1 – 2 mm in width. Proceed to slice as many plantains as possible. Test the oil by dropping a plantain slice in. The oil should not be smoking, and the slice should fry, cooking until almost no bubbles are present in the oil. Cook as many slices as the pot fits at a time, make sure they do not burn. Remove using a spider or thin wire strainer, place onto a plate or pan lined with paper towel. Season with salt immediately.
5. Once plantains are fried and the fluke is cooked, drain out excess lime juice from the fluke into a separate bowl, keeping the liquid. Toss in a bowl the corn, cilantro, tomatoes, extra virgin olive oil and some salt. Add the fluke and mix well by tossing lightly. Add some of the reserved liquid until salt, sour liquid, and olive oil are balanced.
6. Serve in a chilled glass bowl along with the plantains. Spoon the mixture onto a plantain chip and enjoy.