Ceviche de tilapia --- a Venezuelan delicacy

I learned a great lesson tonight. When chopping up really spicy peppers, you might think you've washed your hands good enough, but you'd probably be very wrong. Oh, when you rub your eyes, you'll find out VERY quickly. The burn eventually goes away--- give it a couple of hours. Also, watch what you eat after chopping them up. Cherries that you think would taste really fresh end up burning your tongue. Super special.

Painful burning aside, this tilapia dish is super DELICIOUS and really quite healthy --- no processed foods, it's all vegetables and fish. Be aware that it's not a spur-of-the-moment dish. It takes a good 24 hours to complete, but is WELL worth the wait. And it's SUPER easy to throw together. The 24 hours is required because the lime juice needs the time to fully cook the fish. The fish comes out quite tasty, and really tones down the sourness of the limes, making a good delicious mix of sweet from the tomatoes, avocado-ish, and tart from the limes.

Ceviche de Tilapia
a Friderici family recipe

10 tilapia filets (approximately 4-5" in length)
15 limes (yes, you need this many, and it's not going to taste like fish swimming in limeade)
2 large garlic cloves, finely diced (I just squish mine through a garlic press, easier)
1 small yellow onion, diced
4 Tbsp cilantro, finely diced
2 large serrano peppers, finely diced (this ingredient was the source of my pain for the evening)
1/4 cup orange juice
5 large tomatoes, diced
3 large avocados, diced
salt to taste


Make sure to clean and dry the fish thoroughly. I like the tilapia filets from costco, though this time I just got some frozen ones and thawed them in the sink. After drying the fish, you chop up into 1/2 inch cubes. Mine ended up being more like 1/4 inch cubes, but that's because I get overzealous and kept chopping them just a tad smaller. I also wanted more bite-sized pieces, and wanted to make sure the lime juice cooked the fish all the way through before I served it.
After I chopped up the fish and put it in a bowl (make sure it's a GLASS or PLASTIC bowl--- the lime juice may corrode a metal bowl), I used a lime press (definitely worth the 5 bucks) and squeezed the limes (yes, 15 limes) into the bowl. Add the garlic, yellow onion, cilantro, serrano peppers (make sure to dice them finely--- I'm not a fan of a gigantic piece of hot pepper myself) and the orange juice. Cover with plastic, and put it in the fridge overnight.

Right before you serve it the next day, add the tomatoes and avocados. Add salt to taste. It can be served with chips like a dip or a salsa, or served up in bowls. Everyone will be amazed that you produced a great tasting dish, and you can secretly smile at how easy it was.