Vegan Ceviche

I first had vegan ceviche in LA during a ‘food vacation’ back in 2015. Having a lot of friends with food allergies and dietary restrictions, I wanted to explore more plant based cooking. Plant based cooking for me isn’t a weaker substitute for a dish because you want to be healthy, but a flavorful dish in it’s own right. This is a favorite of mine during the hot summer months as it is incredibly light and refreshing.

Created for the Fort Worth Blue Zones Project | Leather knife roll by Labarrère

Ingredients

Serves 4-6 as an appetizer. 

  • ½ cup fresh lime juice

  • 1 fresh coconut

  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt

  • 2 cloves garlic

  • 1 squash (Mexican, yellow or zucchini squash may be used)

  • 2 Roma tomatoes 

  • 3-5 fresh tomatillos

  • 2 stalks celery

  • ¼ red onion

  • Cilantro

  • 1 avocado

  • 1 serrano pepper

  • Tortilla chips or tostadas to serve

Process

Prepare the fresh coconut: Using a screwdriver and hammer carefully create a small hole in the top of the coconut and drain out all of the water. Set aside. Wrap the coconut in a kitchen towel and, using the hammer, break the coconut into smaller pieces. Using the back end of a knife blade, separate the meat from the shell and remove the hard brown layer of the coconut meat with a vegetable peeler. Cut into thin slices and set aside in a medium sized bowl.

Mix ½ cup fresh lime juice with ½ cup of the coconut water, two teaspoons of kosher salt, and two cloves of minced garlic. Set aside.

Thinly slice red onion, dice squash, roma tomatoes, and tomatillos and add them to the bowl with coconut. 

Cut the two stalks of celery into thirds. Using a vegetable peeler make thin, flat strips of celery and add them to the bowl. 

Add the liquid mixture to the bowl and toss everything together. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 20 minutes and up to overnight. 

To serve, slice avocado and arrange on plate or tostada. Add ceviche mixture and top with cilantro leaves and thinly sliced serrano peppers (optional).