If you’ve ever eaten Latin American food, you must have noticed how diverse it really is right from the taste to the colours to all the different spices used. Ceviche is no exception. If you’ve never heard of a ceviche (though you’ve most likely eaten it), it’s basically small diced fish or other seafood that’s been heavily marinated with citrus, chili, and spices or even serrano, though it necessarily doesn’t always need meat. It is the most Latino thing I can think of and was my inspiration today. So I started with the base of my ceviche was with mango and red onion and I started to add ingredients from there. 

If you’re wondering why I didn’t make it the traditional way with fish, it was just because the idea of sticking raw meat into a dish wasn’t quite appealing to me, ever so when I’m quite accustomed to having it cooked all these years.

For some texture, I went with a chili oil “cracker” and for the summery essence, I went with a garnish of basil, not to mention the lemon juice. It however seemed that the ceviche felt short of one ingredient; I thought of many ingredients that would work well with the dish as a whole, so finally I chose pineapple. 

The thing I really like about this particular ceviche is that the mango and pineapple sort of lean this dish towards the sweet side, but then the cracker, onion and lemon juice bring it right back so that there’s a savoury-sweet balance. The interesting thing about this is that it can also be eaten as a canape with the cracker at the bottom and ceviche on the top or like "chips and salsa". I decided to name this little creation “party” as a reference to its bright appearance and array of flavours. 

This dish is really easy yet there was a lot of thought that went behind it and it perfectly fits into the summer theme, which is also my current obsession. I highly recommend wearing mango-friendly attire or else you’ll end up ruining your favourite shirt.

Ceviche:

• 1 large, ripe mango
• ½ of a medium sized red onion
• Pineapple
• Juice and zest of 1 large lemon
• Sea salt
• Ground pepper
• A small bunch of cilantro

Remove the skin and gently dice the mango into fair sized cubes. Cut the onion into half and thinly slice one half vertically. Cut the pineapple into cubes smaller than the mango cubes (ratio between mango and pineapple - 2:1). In a medium sized bowl, combine the diced fruit and onion. Add the lemon juice, a pinch of salt and a pinch of ground pepper. Gently toss together all the ingredients. Finely chop some cilantro and add to the ceviche. Gently mix. Allow to marinate for about 20-25 minutes.

‘Cracker’:

• ¼ cup (wheat) flour
• Water (about 2 tbsp.)
• A pinch of salt
• A pinch of chili flakes

On a working surface or a bowl, combine the flour, salt and chili flakes. Create a well in the centre and start adding about ½ a tablespoon of water. Combine the water and the flour until a moist dough has been formed (you may need more water; add the water very gradually). Set the dough aside for about 15 minutes. Flour your working surface and lightly flour your dough. Using a rolling pin, roll out an even, thin sheet of dough (slightly thicker than pasta dough). Cut out a circle using a circular mould. Use a smaller mould to cut out an off-centre circular hole. Heat up a pan on medium heat. Once the pan has been heated, place the cracker. Cook on both sides until cooked. Turn off the heat and let the cracker rest on the pan, to get it crispy.

Chili oil:

• ¼ cup neutral flavoured oil
• 1 tsp chili flakes
• A pinch of ground ginger
• A pinch of pepper
• A pinch of salt
• ½ clove of garlic, minced

Fry off the chili flakes, ginger, pepper and garlic on a low heat in the oil. Once the chili flakes are crispy, remove from heat and add the salt. Brush the cooled down oil onto the cracker.

To finish off:

• Fresh basil leaves
• Cilantro

Add the ceviche in a bowl. Place the cracker on the side. Garnish with basil leaves and cilantro.