Mesa de Vida Ceviche and Wasabi Citrus Crab Salad – inspired by my favorite Seattle restaurant

I was treated to my favorite Seattle restaurant recently – Trago. Their food is simply amazing. It is Mexican/Latin cuisine –  done to perfection. This isn’t your ordinary Mexican restaurant with the entree with the beans and the rice, covered in sauce and cheese.  The flavors are complex and the food is perfectly cooked (try the bone in pork shank, OH. MY. Gosh.) The music is really great too if you stay late to dance off your dinner!

My favorite thing to eat there: ceviche. Oh it is so good. Fresh and bright and perfect. I get the prawn ceviche and it tastes like they got the seafood directly out of the water. It is bright and sweet and a perfect compliment to the flavors they combine it with. I had to make it again at home the next day – I just can’t get enough of it! A great recipe to whip together and serve to guests the next time you have people over. Ceviche typically calls for the seafood of your choice to be “cooked” in lime juice. I used cooked prawns in my recipe just because I didn’t have a lot of time – feel free to be authentic and allow your seafood to cook in lime juice, to cover, for about 1 hour.

The other recipe I wanted to make with this healthy, fresh lunch is my crab salad. Not ordinary though, I like it with a tangy, sweet, citrus and a wasabi kick. Not spicy, just bold and bright. This is an easy recipe and great to put together not just for lunch but it makes a great appetizer for entertaining!

I served this lunch with homemade baked tortilla chips (simply cut corn tortillas into triangles, spray with olive oil spray and bake at 400 until crispy, about 8 minutes). Personally I skip the chips and just dig in with a fork – Enjoy!

Mesa de Vida Ceviche – not saying I made it up…this is just how I make it

1 lb prawns, shelled, cleaned and cut into 1/2″ pieces

2 limes

2 Roma tomatoes, diced

1 jalapeno, minced

1/4 onion, minced

1 garlic clove, minced

1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Pinch Kosher/sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Combine all of the ingredients with the juice from two limes. Refrigerate about 15 minutes to allow the flavors to blend. Serve and enjoy! Serve with sliced avocado if you wish.

Wasabi Citrus Crab Salad

1 tsp wasabi powder

1 lime

1 orange

1 grapefruit

4 green onions, chopped

1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

1 avocado, diced

12 oz fresh crab meat – jumbo lump or claw meat (Dungeness is my favorite of course!)

Pinch Kosher/sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Fresh baby spinach or watercress or arugula, optional

Combine the juice from the lime with the wasabi powder. This needs to sit about 6 minutes. I just continue making the rest of the salad while the wasabi “blooms”. Segment your orange and grapefruit (don’t know how to do this? Watch this video.) and add to the lime/wasabi mixture. Squeeze all of the juice into the bowl after you have segmented the fruits. Add the green onions and cilantro, adding the crab last and folding gently. Refrigerate about 15 minutes or until you’re ready to serve. I like to serve it on a bed of baby greens. Enjoy!

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Cheers, may your day be delicious! 

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