Small Bites

Restaurants and recipes in Westchester, Rockland and the Lower Hudson Valley. From the staff and contributors to lohud.com and The Journal News.

Small Bites Pot Luck Recipes: Salmon Ceviche and Guacamole with Grapes and Nuts

The Small Bites bloggers gathered for a pot luck, and we thought everyone should benefit! Here are the recipes from Latin Twist blogger Arlen Gargagliano.

Carucha L. Meuse / The Journal News

The recipes, after the jumpm.

Salmon, Mango and Roasted Pepper Ceviche

Serves 8 to 10 as a small appetizer

1 pound wild salmon, skin removed

Mango

4 roasted peppers, 2 red and 2 yellow

1/2 roasted jalapeño (optional), finely diced (I didn’t include this for my parents—nor for people I knew wouldn’t enjoy the extra kick.)

2 limes

4 oranges

2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger

1/4 cup olive oil

Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper

Fresh cilantro

Scallions

Honey to taste (I added 1 teaspoon)

Dice the salmon into 1/4-inch chunks and place in a bowl. Cut the mango into 1/4-inch chunks, and add. Also dice the roasted peppers, and add them to the bowl.

Juice the limes and oranges and pour the juice into another bowl. Add the grated ginger, olive oil, salt and pepper. Whisk, and taste. Add honey if desired—just for slight sweetness if needed. Pour the juices over the salmon mixture, stir, cover and refrigerate for at least an hour (I made it about 3 hours ahead of time—but then ate it the next day, too, and it was great!).

Chop the cilantro leaves and the light and dark green parts of the scallions and set aside.

Serve the ceviche in glasses, small dishes, atop cucumber slices (what I do for cocktail parties!) or in shells, as pictured here. Sprinkle the scallion/cilantro mixture just before serving.

Guacamole with Grapes and Nuts

Stewart, Tabori & Chang

I don’t think that it was a love-at-first-bite kind of thing, but wow, times have changed. These days I find it hard hard to resist the nutty flavor of avocado flesh; it can be eaten with just a squirt of lime and a sprinkle of salt, used as a topping for soups and salads, or used as a backdrop in different guacamoles and salsas.

This interpretation of guacamole—with a bit of spark and smoke from chipotles, sweet from the grapes, and crunch from the nuts—is a crowd pleaser, and perfect as a kick-off treat for your spring or summertime barbecues. For a larger crowd, this recipe is super simple to multiply. (By the way, to make chipotle purée, you can buy a can of chipotles en adobo in any Latin market—or section of a market—and purée them in a blender. This will keep for up to 6 weeks, or beyond, in the fridge—and adds a nice smoky flavor to sauces—and even mayonnaise.)

Serve this guacamole with a bowl of your favorite tortilla chips, and ice-cold beer or fruit-filled sangría.

Makes about 2 cups

2 ripe Hass avocados, peeled, pitted, and coarsely chopped

1 small shallot or 1/2 a red onion, finely diced

Juice of 1/2 lime, plus more as desired

1/2 teaspoon chipotle purée (or more—according to taste)

15 to 20 seedless red grapes, halved

1/3 cup toasted pecans (or walnuts) coarsely chopped

Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

In a large bowl, combine the avocados, red onion, and lime juice. Stir in the chipotle purée and grapes, but don’t mix it too much or the avocados will get mushy. At this point, you may want to refrigerate the guacamole (with the avocado pit, so the browning is lessened). Just before serving, remove the pit, stir to mix. Add another squirt of fresh lime juice, and then the toasted pecans, salt and pepper, and cilantro.