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This light and refreshing Fish Ceviche with Grapefruit + Flounder is a cold seafood salad that’s perfect for hot summer days!
Is it hot outside where you live?
Where I live in Central Appalachia, it’s not just hot– it’s muggy, sticky, and the air is thick— as if the rain started to fall, but got stuck mid-air.
As soon as I walk outside, I hear cicadas clicking, crickets chirping, and air conditioners struggling to keep up with the dense summer heat.
To me, this weather screams “ice cream!” and most definitely does not scream– “turn on your oven!” We cannot live on ice cream alone, however, and dinner time rolls around every single day.
This easy, cold Grapefruit Flounder Ceviche is here to save you from your summertime dinner dilemma! This light and refreshing seafood salad is quick and doesn’t need an oven!
What is Ceviche?
Ceviche is a popular Peruvian dish. It’s made with cold seafood that isn’t exactly raw, but it’s not cooked either.
To make ceviche, you soak small pieces of fish in an acid— such as lime, lemon, or grapefruit juice– until the texture of the fish changes.
This process is called denaturation— the nature, or chemical makeup of the fish, changes.
The denaturation process happens when you cook with heat too– the fish changes texture with heat exposure from raw to cooked, from tough and translucent to flaky and opaque.
With ceviche, it’s the acid, not the heat, that causes the fish to transform.
Do You Need Fresh Fish For Ceviche?
No.
In fact, I recommend using commercially frozen fish instead of raw fish.
Why? The FDA recommends using commercially frozen fish instead of fresh fish for raw or undercooked fish preparations. And so do I.
Traditionally, ceviche is made with the freshest fish possible– straight off the boat, and then sliced, diced, and marinated in an acid.
However, most of us don’t have access to fish straight off a boat, and even if you do, I still recommend purchasing frozen fish.
I Can’t Find Flounder. What Can I Use?
Any firm, white fish, such as striped bass, grouper, or sole should work well.
Avoid oily fish like sardines or salmon.
How to Make Fish Ceviche
First of all, thaw your frozen fish.
Next, grab your sharpest knife— a fillet knife is ideal. If you don’t have a fillet knife, try keeping the knife blade wet while cutting. Raw fish is much harder to cut through than cooked fish.
Then, soak the fish in grapefruit juice (or another acid like lime or lemon juice) for 10 – 20 minutes at room temperature. Try tasting a piece of the fish at 10 minutes, and leave it longer if it doesn’t seem tender.
Avoid leaving your fish in acid much longer– it tends to become tough and “overcooked.”
Finally, drain off the juice, and add the fish is now ceviche!
For this recipe, add diced onion, tomatoes, and avocado, and serve it with the yogurt and honey sauce. Serve your ceviche on its own, in a lettuce wrap, or with crackers.
Enjoy your fish ceviche, and stay cool on these hot summer days!
Want more SUMMER SEAFOOD recipes? Try these: Seared Salmon with Cherry Almond Topping, Grilled Swordfish with Basil Pesto, Sockeye Salmon Recipe: Grilled Chili Lime Salmon
Fish Ceviche with Grapefruit + Flounder
No
2-3 Days
Ingredients
Grapefruit Flounder Ceviche:
- 2 flounder fillets (~4 oz each) See recipe notes
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ grapefruit, juiced (~½ cup juice), plus 1 tsp grapefruit juice
- ¼ cup cherry tomatoes, diced
- ¼ cup finely diced red onion
- ½ avocado, cut into small cubes
Yogurt Sauce:
- ¼ cup whole milk plain yogurt
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoon honey
To Serve (Optional):
- large lettuce leaves (for lettuce wraps), crackers
Instructions
- Dice flounder into small, even, bite-size pieces with a sharp knife. Place flounder in a bowl, sprinkle with salt, and cover with grapefruit juice (reserving 1 tsp juice for the yogurt sauce).
- Let the flounder marinate in the grapefruit juice for 10-15 minutes at room temperature, or until the fish has become opaque white and tears easily.
- Drain the grapefruit juice from the fish, and add the tomatoes, onion, and avocado. Stir all the ingredients together.
- Mix yogurt, salt, honey, and the remaining 1 tsp of grapefruit juice together.
- Serve sauce mixed in with ceviche, on the side, or drizzled on top. Serve ceviche on its own, in lettuce wraps, or with crackers. Refrigerate if not using immediately.
- Make Ahead / Leftovers: Ceviche can be stored in the fridge and used within 2-3 days.
I always wondered about the science behind ceviche but didn’t bother looking it up. I’ve been wanting to have Peruvian ceviche for ages but was hesitant to try making it. This would be so perfect for hot days and I love how you use grapefruit for the acid instead of lime or lemon!
As long as you use fish that’s been frozen, I think it’s fantastic! Plus it’s EASY! Enjoy!!!
I love that you used grapefruit (my favorite citrus fruit) for this ceviche! looks delicious!
We’d just come back from a camping trip, and one of the campgrounds we stayed at had a bunch of grapefruit trees everywhere. They let you pick the fruit, so I came home with a ton and used them in everything! 😀
I was always hesitant to try ceviche because I thought it would taste raw. But I had it recently at a blogging event and I loved it. I’m glad to know your source for the fish because I am land locked too!
It doesn’t taste raw! I’m glad you had a chance to try it!! And yessss try Orca Bay! Their seafood always tastes amazing.
This was so interesting! I had no idea how ceviche was made– I’ll have to try it!
I love ceviche, but can’t say that I’ve had any with flounder or grapefruit. That combo sounds delicious!
It is! And super easy 🙂
What a gloriously refreshing meal for the middle of our heatwave ~ I’ve only had ceviche made with shrimp, and I think this sounds even better ~ I love the grapefruit!!
I love finding new ways to eat grapefruit, as it’s such a great summer flavour. I love everything that is going on in this dish.
I’ve never had ceviche but you know my obsession with fresh fish! I’m giving this a try this year! Thanks for the encouragement!
I’ve got to try this! I’m always worried about making raw or mostly-raw fish at home. Looks like they have Orca Bay at Costco just down the road so I’m in luck! Lord knows we need oven-free meals here in SC in the summertime!
Yay I’m glad you found some!!! Go get it and let me know how you like it!