Ahi Tuna Ceviche is perfect for summer nights or a simple party appetizer! This quick and easy recipe for classic Ceviche made with Ahi Tuna will easily become your go-to ceviche recipe! So good!
Sometimes I just want to make something that requires no heating up a grill, no starting a fire, no ovens, no stovetops, no crock-pots. Well, really, no cooking. At least in the traditional sense. And with warm summer weather approaching, I thought it was time to break out one of my favorite summer staples, ceviche.
Ceviche is the Perfect Summer Recipe
This is a dish that just screams summer (and those occasional unseasonably warm spring days). It’s light, fresh, herbaceous, citrusy, and is served cold. It is a dish I love ordering at restaurants. I also used to be scared of making it at home, thinking it required some kind of special technique or special ingredients. Nope. Basically, ceviche is about as easy to make as salsa. Just chop up your ingredients and throw them into a bowl.
However, unlike salsa, you will need to marinate the main ingredient (your fish of choice) in lime juice for a short period of time in the refrigerator. That’s how it will cook. It’s not cooked over heat; it’s cooked in acids of the lime juice. Kind of like magic. Voila.
How to make Ahi Tuna Ceviche
- Start by cutting your tuna into small bite size chunks (like 1/4 – 1/2 inch chunks). Place the fish into a bowl with other ingredients and allow it to marinate.
- Everyone will have different thoughts on how long it should cook. For a white fish we only need to marinate for around 30 minutes. But for Tuna I like to go up to 1 hour to really soak up the flavors of this marinade.
Chef’s Tip: Sushi grade Ahi tuna can be consumed raw, but marinating it in the lime juice will not only cook the tuna, but it will infuse it with great flavor – delightful citrusy and herbaceous flavor. It’s like melt-in-your-mouth deliciousness that you find yourself quickly devouring and going back for seconds, but you don’t feel guilty about it, because it’s so stinkin’ fresh and healthy.
Ahi Tuna Ceviche Recipe
Ahi Tuna Ceviche
Ingredients
- ½ lb sushi grade Ahi tuna, diced into small cubes
- 1/3 cup red onion, finely sliced or diced
- ½ teaspoon lime zest
- 1/3 cup lime juice (about 2 limes)
- 1 tablespoon jalapeño, seeds removed and finely diced
- 2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
- 1/3 cup Roma tomatoes, diced
- ½ avocado, diced
- kosher salt, to taste (approx 1/4 teaspoon)
- Chips or baguette slices for serving
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients (except avocado) in a bowl. Cover and refrigerate for 1-2 hours, stirring occasionally. Don’t let it marinate for more than 2 hours or the meat will become tough.
- Just before serving, gently fold in the avocado and season with salt.
- Taste to adjust flavoring, and add more lime and cilantro if needed.
- Serve with chips or baguette slices.
Wine Pairing for Ceviche
There’s a lot of acidity going on here with all that lime juice, along with the herbaceous cilantro. While there’s some lovely creamy textures from the tuna and rich avocado, focus more on the citrus and herbs and look for something high in acidity to stand up to the power of the dish. If you don’t pair this with a wine with equal acidity the dish may fall flat and the wine will end up tasting sweet, and that’s no bueno!
Pinot Gris (Grigio), Albariño, and even Dry Riesling (make sure it’s dry though!) can work well. But my go-to for ceviche is Sauvignon Blanc because they typically have lots of citrus notes, herbal aromas, and have the acidity to match that found in the dish. This is a pairing where you want to match acid with acid (know what I’m saying?). Some people will warn that this pairing may cause a lime-y or citrus-y overload in your mouth, but I personally think they work great for this particular ceviche recipe.
More Seafood Recipes
- Easy Classic Ceviche Recipe (with white-fleshed fish)
- Perfect Tender Smoked Salmon
- Grilled Shrimp with Garlic White Wine Butter Sauce
- Grilled Salmon with Orange Maple Glaze
If you like this recipe we’d truly appreciate it if you would give this recipe a star review! And if you share any of your pics on Instagram use the hashtag #vindulge. We LOVE to see it when you cook our recipes.
Lisa says
Great recipe!
Kim says
This was exactly what I was looking for. Lots of lime juice and bold flavors – reminiscent of my visits to Belize. I’ve used this exact recipe with shrimp and mussels – both with excellent results. Delish!!
Sean Martin says
Thank you for the feedback!!