Vegetarian Ceviche (Artichoke & Mushrooms)

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Vegetarian Ceviche

Vegetarian Ceviche

All the ceviche recipes I’ve posted so far are seafood dishes — but did you know you can also make a vegetarian ceviche? That’s right, the same simple technique of marinating fish in lime juice and spices can be applied to any vegetable, and the result is a refreshing salad-like dish that is perfect for a hot sunny day in California.

The inspiration for this recipe came from Gaston Acurio; however I used local ingredients and modified the measurements to my taste. The only thing I had to prepare ahead of time was some roasted garlic, which almost dissolved in the lime juice, adding flavor and balance without overpowering the other ingredients.

As when making seafood ceviche, it’s all about using fresh ingredients, but for convenience I used canned artichoke hearts. The final dish had all the traits of a Peruvian ceviche — it was simple, flavorful, light, tangy, healthy, and beautiful. This recipe is dedicated to all my vegetarian friends who crave a taste of Peru, enjoy!

INGREDIENTS FOR POACHING LIQUID
  • 4 large white mushrooms
  • 1 can of artichoke hearts (14 oz. can)
  • 1/2 red bell pepper
  • 12 limes
  • 1 tablespoon roasted garlic
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • olive oil
  • fresh ground pepper
  • chopped parsley for garnish
PREPARATION

In addition to the ingredients above, you’ll need a skillet to sauté the pepper, and a glass bowl to marinate the mushrooms.

  1. Prepare the roasted garlic ahead of time, as it may take over an hour to cook. See notes below.
  2. Wash the mushrooms, scrub, remove stems, and cut into thin slices. Julienne 1/2 a red pepper and cut the artichoke hearts in half. Set aside.
  3. Squeeze juice of 12 limes into a bowl and add the mushrooms, season with salt and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
  4. Sauté the red pepper in a skillet with olive oil over medium heat, a couple of minutes.
  5. Add the artichoke hearts and red pepper to the bowl with the mushrooms and toss.
  6. Serve in small plates, drizzle with olive oil, add a dash of freshly ground pepper, and garnish with chopped parsley.
SERVINGS

4 servings.

NOTES

The Joy of Cooking is a great reference for basic techniques like roasting garlic. I roasted 4 heads of garlic, drizzled with olive oil and wrapped in aluminum foil at 325ºF for about 1 1/2 hours.