Recipe: Black Bass Ceviche with Green-Garlic Leche de Tigre

Spoonfuls of black bass ceviche are garnished with puffed rice. / Photograph by Pat Piasecki

Black Bass Ceviche with Green-Garlic Leche de Tigre

Makes 36 spoons

For the ceviche

• 3 lb. wild black bass fillet
• 1 tsp. green-garlic bulb (the white bottom), chopped
• 1 tsp. green-garlic tops (the green part), thinly sliced
• 1 c. water
• 1 tsp. salt
• ¼ in. section of one jalapeño
• 4 limes, juiced
• 3 ice cubes

For the puffed rice

• 2 c. kosher salt
• ¼ c. wild rice (recommended: Lundberg Organic Wild Rice)

For the ceviche

1. Make sure no pin bones are left in the black bass fillet. Slice the belly and tail off and reserve for the leche de tigre.
2. Slice fish fillet into ¼-inch-thick strips and set aside.
3. Place the belly and tail, skin removed, into a blender, along with green-garlic tops, bottom, lime juice, ice, jalapeño, water, and salt.
4. Blend, on high, until mixture becomes smooth, with the consistency of milk. If too thick, add more ice; if too thin, add a little more fish.
5. Adjust seasoning with more lime juice, chili, or salt if needed.

For the puffed rice

1. Heat salt on high heat in a 6-inch cast-iron pan for five minutes, until the salt and the pan are both extremely hot.
2. Add rice, rapidly shaking the pan. When rice puffs up to the top, dump the contents into a colander or large-hole strainer and shake vigorously to separate the salt from the rice.
3. You should be left with browned, but not burnt, rice that resembles Rice Krispies.

To assemble

1. About an hour before serving, toss slices of fish in leche de tigre. Keep refrigerated.
2. Assemble a tray of spoons elevated by napkins to ensure they sit flat.
3. Roll a slice of cured bass in each spoon, pour over a little leche de tigre, and garnish with puffed rice, some thinly sliced green-garlic tops, and a very thin slice of jalapeño.