Tuna Ceviche with Avocado, Jalapeno and Cilantro

The original plan for the beautiful piece of tuna was to sear it Asian-style. That's a normal route tuna takes in our kitchen.

But inspired by a beautiful spring day and a Rick Bayless cookbook, here's what we had instead.

Tuna Ceviche with Avocado, Jalapeño and Cilantro
Makes 2-4 servings.

1 cup fresh lime juice
2 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped
1 cup (loosely packed) roughly chopped cilantro (or parsley if you're averse to cilantro)
1 jalapeño, stemmed and roughly chopped
Salt
1 to 1 ¼ pounds sashimi-grade bone-less, skinless tuna (salmon and snapper are also options), cut into ½-inch cube
1 ripe avocado, pitted, flesh scooped from the skin, and cut into ¼-inch cubes

In a blender or food processor, combine the lime juice, garlic, cilantro, jalapeño and 1 scant teaspoon salt. Process until smooth.

Scoop the fish into a large bowl. Pour the lime marinade over it and let it “cook” in the lime juice to suit your own taste: you can eat it right away (Peruvian-style) if you like raw fish, or let it “cook” for an hour or 2 if you like it more well-done. (I "cooked" ours for 15 minutes.)

Pour off half of the marinating liquid and set aside. Toss the avocado with the fish, then taste and season with additional salt if you think necessary.