Tequila Ceviche with Citrus & Fennel Salad

Name: Tequila Ceviche with Citrus &amp; Fennel Salad
Prep time: 4 h 30 min
Total time: 4 h 30 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: American Italian Mexican
Ingredients: 1 grapefruit; 2 medium oranges; 1/3 cup lime juice (from 3 limes); 2 tablespoons silver tequila; 1 teaspoon kosher salt; 10 ounces sole (3 to 4 fillets, skinned and chopped into ½-inch pieces); 1 fennel bulb (cored and shaved); 1 jalapeño (seeded and minced); 2 scallions (pale green and white parts, finely chopped); 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon chopped fresh cilantro; 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil; 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt; 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper; 12 large butter lettuce leaves

270 MINPrep Time

6Servings

by Giada De Laurentiis

Intermediate

Photo Credit: Elizabeth Newman

You must be signed in as a member to print this content

For a super easy summer dinner, this tequila ceviche with citrus and fennel salad checks all the boxes. It's bright and tangy, but the sole makes it substantial enough to be satisfying. The combination of fresh sole that's been marinated in a citrus-tequila bath, crunchy fennel, and juicy grapefruit and orange segments gives each bite of this salad a burst of flavors and textures. Plus, the hardest thing you have to do is slice the fruit! For ceviche, you don't actually cook the fish — but it's not raw either. The acidity from the citrus juice and tequila in the marinade actually cooks the fish while it's resting in the fridge, so it's totally safe to eat.

You can also serve this in smaller portions as an appetizer or small bite for guests. For a fun summer cocktail party, serve it alongside my shrimp and avocado cups!

Tequila Ceviche with Citrus & Fennel Salad

Prep Time

270 minutes

Image of Tequila Ceviche with Citrus & Fennel Salad

Ingredients

For the Ceviche:

1 grapefruit
2 medium oranges
1/3 cup lime juice (from 3 limes)
2 tablespoons silver tequila
1 teaspoon kosher salt
10 ounces sole (3 to 4 fillets, skinned and chopped into ½-inch pieces)

For the Salad:

1 fennel bulb (cored and shaved)
1 jalapeño (seeded and minced)
2 scallions (pale green and white parts, finely chopped)
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
12 large butter lettuce leaves

Instructions

For the ceviche:

Grate the zest from the grapefruit and oranges and put in an 8-inch square glass or ceramic baking dish. Add the lime juice.
Working on a cutting board, cut the ends from the grapefruit and oranges so that some of the flesh shows. Stand each fruit on one of its new flat ends and work your knife around the fruit to remove the peel along with a sliver of flesh.
Set a sieve over the baking dish. Hold the grapefruit over the sieve and, using a paring knife, cut along the membrane on both sides of each grapefruit segment. Free the segments and let them fall into the sieve. Squeeze the grapefruit membrane over the sieve to extract as much juice as possible. Repeat with the oranges. Transfer the citrus segments to a large bowl.
Stir the tequila and salt into the citrus juices. Add the sole in an even layer, cover the dish with plastic wrap, and refrigerate, stirring halfway through to distribute the marinade, until the fish is firm and no longer pink in the center, 3 to 4 hours.

For the salad:

Add the fennel, jalapeño, scallions, 1 tablespoon of the cilantro, the olive oil, salt, and pepper to the citrus segments. Cover and refrigerate.
Drain the sole, add it to the citrus fennel salad, and toss gently to combine.
To serve, nest 2 lettuce leaves inside each other on each plate. Spoon ¼ cup ceviche into each leaf and sprinkle with the remaining 1 teaspoon cilantro.