Light and full of flavor, ceviche is a great use for calamari and couldn’t be simpler to toss together. Grapefruit and lime juice work here as the citrusy base, and mango adds a tropical twist. Since the calamari is poached first, this nontraditional ceviche is ideal for those who shy away from raw seafood.

What to buy: If you purchase whole, uncleaned calamari, 1 1/2 pounds yields about 12 ounces of cleaned squid. Check out this CHOW video on how to clean squid for tips.

See more recipes using sustainable fish.

  • Yield: 6 servings as an hors d’oeuvre
  • Difficulty: Easy
  • Total: 1 hr 20 mins, plus marinating time  

Ingredients (15)

  • 2 cups water, plus more for the ice water bath
  • 12 ounces cleaned calamari, bodies cut into 1/2-inch rings and tentacles left whole
  • 1/2 cup freshly squeezed grapefruit juice (from about 1 grapefruit)
  • 1/2 teaspoon finely grated lime zest
  • 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (from about 5 limes), plus more as needed
  • 1/2 small red onion, finely chopped
  • 2 tablespoons minced shallot (from about 1/2 medium shallot)
  • 1 medium garlic clove, minced
  • 1/2 serrano chile, stemmed, seeded, and minced
  • 1/4 teaspoon curry powder
  • 1 medium mango, peeled and cut into medium dice
  • 1/4 cup thinly sliced red radishes (from about 2 medium radishes)
  • Kosher salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 3 medium avocados

Instructions

  1. Prepare an ice water bath by filling a large bowl halfway with ice and water; set aside.
  2. Bring the measured water to a boil over high heat in a medium saucepan. Add the calamari, stir, and cook until just opaque, about 1 minute. Remove with a slotted spoon to the ice water bath and let cool, about 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the calamari from the ice water bath and spread out on a clean kitchen towel or paper towels to dry.
  3. Place the grapefruit juice, lime zest, lime juice, onion, shallot, garlic, serrano, and curry powder in a large, nonreactive bowl and stir to combine. Add the dry calamari, mango, and radishes, season with salt and pepper, and stir to combine. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 6 hours. Taste and season with additional salt, pepper, and lime juice as needed.
  4. Peel the avocados, cut them in half, and remove the pits. To serve, mound about a quarter of the ceviche onto each avocado half.