Tomato and Avocado Ceviche

You can use almost any whitefish in this recipe, though we've had very good success with halibut. Other fish suggestd include tuna, salmon, sea bass, sole, sea scallop and shrimp. The recipe suggests thin fish such as sole, flounder or tilapia as easy because they do not need to be cut width-wise (which should be no thicker than 1/3 inch for even cooking). The important part is to keep the pieces of fish approximately the same size cubes so that they cook in the citrus at the same rate. Because we are essentially cooking the fish with the acid from the citrus and not applying any heat, it's important to use fresh (from the store that day, not frozen, etc) fish and fresh lemons and limes. The brightness of the lemons and limes are the key to the flavor of the dish. Don't worry, it cooks, and will turn opaque to prove it. You actually can overcook things with citrus, so don't leave it in the marinade too long.

Be sure to pat all seafood dry with paper towels so that any moisture does not water down the marinade. To prep in advance, you can mix all the citrus marinade ingredients together (jalepeno, red pepper, garlic, lemon, lime, etc.) in one bowl, the cut seafood in another, and the added veggies minus avocado (scallions, cilantro, cherry tomatoes, oil, and sugar) in another. When it is time to start marinating, add the fish to the citrus. Add the avocado just before serving to prevent it from breaking down, turning brown, or making everything green. This will serve a generous 4 portions for a first course or a smaller 6 portions.

Tomato and Avocado Ceviche

Ingredients

1 pound extra-large shrimp (21 to 25 per pound), large sea scallops, skinless fish fillets, or a combination

1teaspoon grated lime zest from 1 lime

1/2cup juice from 4 limes

1/2cup juice from 4 lemons

1small red bell pepper , stemmed, seeded, and chopped fine

1-2 jalapeno chile (small), stemmed, seeded, and minced

1 medium garlic clove , minced or pressed through a garlic press

Salt

1/4cup extra-virgin olive oil

4-6 scallions , sliced thin (about 1 small bunch)

1cup cherry tomatoes , quartered

3tablespoons minced fresh cilantro leaves

1/2teaspoon sugar

1 ripe avocado , pitted and diced fine

Ground black pepper

Instructions

1. If using shrimp, peel them completely, devein, and slice each shrimp in half lengthwise using a paring knife (through the deveined groove in the back). If using scallops, remove the side tendon and slice into 1/3-inch-thick rounds. If using fish, remove any bones and slice into 1-inch squares about 1/3 inch thick.

2. Stir the lime zest, lime juice, lemon juice, bell pepper, jalapeno, garlic, and 1/2 teaspoon salt together in a medium bowl. Gently stir in the seafood, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until the seafood is firm, opaque, and appears cooked, 45 to 60 minutes, stirring halfway through the marinating time.

3. Place the mixture in a fine-mesh strainer, leaving it a little wet, then return to the bowl. Gently stir in the oil, scallions, tomatoes, cilantro, and sugar followed by the avocado. Season with salt and pepper to taste before serving.

Jalepeno Cheddar Biscuits

These are not going to be the spiciest of jalepeno cheddar biscuits. If you'd like them to pack more kick, increase the amount of jalepeno and leave a little bit of the white veins on the jalepenos (where the spice comes from). You can also add a dash of tabasco, though be gentle, they are biscuits, after all, and you are not parboiling the peppers, so there will be a freshness of the raw pepper that may remain post-baking. Most people find this enjoyable.

If buttermilk isn't available, clabbered milk can be used instead. To make clabbered milk, mix 1 cup milk with 1 tablespoon lemon juice and let stand 10 minutes. Buttermilk is still preferable, though. When you stir the melted butter into cold buttermilk, the butter will clump and curdle and in general look gross. This is by design, and is actually a secret to a light and fluffy biscuit. You can use either an ice cream scoop or a 1/4 cup measure to drop the biscuits onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet. These are drop biscuits, so they are meant to look a little messy.

We've served these with chili, lobster, fried chicken, and gumbo. Basically, a good picnic and summer food.

Ingredients

The curdled milk is good, though it looks wrong.

2  cups unbleached all-purpose flour (10 ounces)

2  teaspoons baking powder

1/2  teaspoon baking soda

1  teaspoon sugar

3/4  teaspoon table salt

1/2  cup shredded cheddar cheese (2 ounces)

1/4  cup diced jalepenos (5 or so peppers)

1  cup buttermilk (cold)

8  tablespoons unsalted butter , melted and cooled slightly (about 5 minutes), plus 2 tablespoons melted butter for brushing biscuits

Instructions

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 475 degrees. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, salt, cheese, and jalepenos in large bowl. Combine buttermilk and 8 tablespoons melted butter in medium bowl, stirring until butter forms small clumps (see photo below).
2. Add buttermilk mixture to dry ingredients and stir with rubber spatula until just incorporated and batter pulls away from sides of bowl. Using greased 1/4-cup dry measure, scoop level amount of batter and drop onto parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet (biscuits should measure about 2 1/4 inches in diameter and 1 1/4 inches high). Repeat with remaining batter, spacing biscuits about 1 1/2 inches apart. Bake until tops are golden brown and crisp, 12 to 14 minutes.
3. Brush biscuit tops with remaining 2 tablespoons melted butter. Transfer to wire rack and let cool 5 minutes before serving. If serving the next day, you can revive the biscuits with ten minutes in a 300 degree oven, making sure to store in a sealed container.