2021 JPF grant recipient Beautiful Day’s Founding Director Keith Cooper was working with refugees in 2008 and seeking ways to help them learn English more quickly. He realized that culinary skills might be a way to help refugees integrate more quickly into American society and in 2012, Beautiful Day was incorporated as a nonprofit organization that provides paid, transitional job training to refugees resettled in RI.
For the Spicy Silver Passion
Ingredients
- 3 ounces Tequila Herradura Silver
- 2 ounces passion fruit pulp
- Splash of agave syrup
- ½ jalapeño, thinly sliced
- Tajin or cayenne and salt, for rimming the glasses
- Freshly squeezed lime juice, for rimming the glasses
Method
- Chill glasses in the freezer.
- In a cocktail shaker, muddle the sliced jalapeño with the passion fruit pulp to release a little spice. Add ice, Tequila Herradura Silver, agave and salt. Shake vigorously.
- To serve: Rim the glasses lightly with lime juice and a touch of Tajin, or the cayenne and salt mixture. Strain the cocktails into the chilled glasses. Serve immediately and enjoy.
For the Ceviche
Ingredients
- ½ pound skinless, boneless sustainable white fish*, finely diced
- ½ pound domestic, wild-caught jumbo shrimp*, cleaned and finely diced
- 1 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
- 1 small red onion, finely diced (about ½ cup)
- 4 jalapeños, stem and seeds removed, finely diced
- 1 bunch cilantro, chopped
- 2 Roma tomatoes, finely diced
- 2 small Persian cucumbers, diced
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- Sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 4 (6-inch) corn tortillas, fried until crisp in vegetable oil, lightly salted, or store-bought tostadas
- California avocado, sliced, for garnish
Method
- In a large bowl, combine fish and shrimp and enough lime juice to cover. Allow to marinate for 20 minutes. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of the lime juice.
- In a large bowl combine the marinated seafood with the onion, jalapeño, tomato, cucumbers, cilantro, salt, pepper, olive oil and enough of the reserved lime juice to your taste. Chill thoroughly.
For the Cilantro Mayonnaise
Ingredients
- 1 bunch cilantro, roughly chopped
- Juice of 1 lime
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- ½ cup mayonnaise
Method
- In the bowl of a food processor, add the cilantro, lime juice, salt, and pepper. Pulse until the cilantro is very finely chopped and a paste begins to form. Add to the mayonnaise and stir to combine thoroughly.
- To serve; spread a thin layer of cilantro mayonnaise on each crispy corn tortilla. Top with the seafood ceviche mixture and garnish with avocado.
* For more info about sustainable seafood and the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch program, go to www.seafoodwatch.org.
Copyright © 2020, Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger, www.bordergrill.com.
Please Drink Responsibly.
This recipe presented by
Nothing beats ceviche when the fish is fresh, and the weather is warm. This version is inspired by trips to Baja where local fishermen and women chop their catch at mobile carts right along the coast. I love a ceviche with plenty of crunchy veggies to complement the rich seafood—feel free to improvise with celery, carrots, jicama or whatever you have on hand.