Peruvian "super chef's" eatery not SF's first cevicheria

Gastón Acurio has arrived. His La Mar Cebicheria is open on the Embarc-
adero in San Francisco, serving authentic Peruvian ceviche and other seafood delights.

Time magazine this week refers to Acurio as the next super chef, saying that while he doesn't yet have the name recognition of Italian-American Mario Batali or Spaniard José Andrés, his coming to the United States is the first step toward it.

Thanks to my friend and soon-to-be fellow culinary student Susan Bullen for sending me the link to the story.

Oh, and if the publicity leads to a jam at the door of La Mar, try the excellent Peruvian ceviche at Fresca on Fillmore Street in Pacific Heights or three other San Francisco locations.

(Photo credit: Ines Menacho, Time magazine)

Top Chef: SF's French connection is a goner

French-born Mattin Noblia, chef-owner of Iluna Basque in San Francisco's North Beach, is gone from Bravo TV's Top Chef competition.

Mattin was eliminated at the end of Wednesday's episode for a ceviche that was unevenly "cooked" (see my Sept. 1 blog entry) and poorly seasoned. Mattin may be a fine chef, but he seemed out of his element in the competition, never building any momentum and not cooking the way he does at his restaurant.

Of equal significance, to me, in Wednesday's episode was the Quickfire Challenge, in which the contestants were required to use cactus in preparation of a dish. Few if any of the dozen competitors seemed to know how to deal with this special vegetable, but the best contestants found ways.

Cooking with cactus? Old hat to Mexican cooks. Nopales, or prickly pear cactus leaves (some call them "pads"), are standard fare in many a mamacita's kitchen.

Tucson food author and longtime acquaintance Carrie Niethammer wrote what is probably the most accessible set of instructions for using nopales, The Prickly Pear Cookbook. It has 60 recipes for nopales.

Cooking with citrus juice

That means ceviche, one of the more delightful of New World delicacies. Raw white fish marinated -- or "cooked" -- in lime and lemon juice has its roots among the indigenous peoples of coastal Central and South America. People in Peru claim to have originated it, but a similar claim along with distinct versions of ceviche come from people in Ecuador, Mexico, Chile, Panama and other countries.

Wherever it came from, it is a deliciously fresh approach to seafood, and it is easier to make than one might think.

Ceviche is in the works in my kitchen as we speak, with a pound or so of sole marinating in my refrigerator, in preparation for tonight's dinner. Many recipes exist, but here's an easy, basic concoction, the very one I am using:

For 4 people, use about one pound of a light white fish. Sole or corvina (sea bass) is best, but it can be made with tuna, squid, octopus, even shrimp and clams. My preference is for a light, non-oily fish.

Start with skinned and boned fish. Dice fish into 1 cm cubes and place in a large glass bowl. Cover with 1 cup of citrus juice, preferably a combination of lime and lemon juice, freshly squeezed. Cover the bowl and refrigerate 4-6 hours, stirring occasionally.

After it is "cooked", turning opaque, drain the citrus juice away. Finely chop a medium onion, 1 clove of garlic, 1 small jalapeño (seeds and spines removed), 1 large or 2 medium ripe red tomatoes and 1 tablespoon of cilantro. Stir chopped ingredients into the fish, add salt and fresh-ground black pepper to taste, and it is ready to serve.

Serve with tortilla chips, fried plantain chips or plain crackers.

Appropriate side dishes include sliced avocado, fried sweet potato, corn on the cob or dried and seasoned corn.

¡Delicioso! Is it dinnertime yet?