12 recipes of Christmas: How to make Moda’s reef fish ceviche

Christmas is a time for getting together with friends and family, which comes with the joy of indulging in a hearty meal or having a few drinks. For some, these celebrations can trigger heartburn or indigestion, but thanks to Gaviscon, you can enjoy this delicious time without hesitation. In celebration, we’ve partnered with Gaviscon to bring to you the 12 recipes of Christmas by some of our favourite Aussie chefs. See all 12 recipes here.

Christmas lunch is so often dominated by an ocean’s worth of seafood, with prawns, oysters, scallops, squid and even lobster proving to be the usual suspects on the menu. But for something a little bit different – and just as tasty – why not try a serving of reef fish ceviche?

Josh Schepis, head chef at Moda in Brisbane, is the culinary whiz behind this particular dish, and agrees it deserves a spot at the table this festive season.

“It’s a great starter for when you get together at Christmas,” says Schepis. “Instead of just doing the normal cheese and biscuits thing, you can have a nice little ceviche with a glass of Champagne.”

Anything that pairs nicely with a glass of bubbles gets the tick of approval from us, but Schepis is also quick to emphasise just how easy this recipe is to nail – even if you’ve never made ceviche before.

“It’s very quick and easy to make,” he explains. “You can pull it together in ten minutes and eat it straight away, or (depending on how fresh the fish is) eat it the next day.”

Speaking of, while Schepis prefers to use reef fish, he also says the most important thing is just making sure you choose a fresh fish with white flesh.

“I’m not a big fan of using barramundi, but a good snapper or sweetlip will work great, and kingfish is another amazing option. The absolute best one you can find is a Spanish mackerel, but the main thing you have to worry about is just getting a good quality, fresh fish.”

According to Schepis, once you have that sorted, it’s the ideal base to then add the rest of the ingredients. While his recipe showcases the vibrant, acidic tang of orange blossom and lemon thyme, you can also add whatever flavours you like to it.

“The flavourings are really up to you,” he says. “You can add whatever you want to it – you could try rosewater as a bit of a perfume flavour, or I’ve done one with pink grapefruit and another where I used vodka instead of vinegar.

“It’s a very, very versatile dish, and the dressing itself can be left up to your imagination.”

With bookings for Christmas parties and family gatherings fast filling up at Moda over the festive season, Schepis anticipates he’ll be whipping up plenty of ceviche – and hopefully inspiring a few keen cooks to also give it a try at home. 

Reef Fish Ceviche

Ingredients

200g local reef fish
4 large golden shallots
1 orange
50ml white wine vinegar
50ml extra virgin olive oil
4 sprigs lemon thyme
2 bay leaves
1-2 drops orange blossom
Maldon salt, to taste
4 sprigs parsley or chervil (finely chopped)
Raspberries to garnish
Gaviscon – if you suffer from heartburn or indigestion and want to eat and drink with confidence during the holidays!

Method

1. Thinly slice the reef fish and keep chilled. 
2. Peel and finely slice shallots.
3. Reserve zest of orange and then juice the fruit. 
4. Into a flat bowl or tray add the orange juice, orange blossom, vinegar and olive oil. On top of these liquids, add the golden shallots, lemon thyme, bay leaves and salt. 
5. Place the fish on the shallots and herbs.
6. Cover with plastic wrap, refrigerate for a minimum of two hours and then remove the bay leaves and lemon thyme. 
7. To serve, put a couple of slices of fish on a clean small plate and garnish with the parsley or chervil, plus the raspberries.

Heartburn an issue? Pick up Gaviscon from your local grocery store or pharmacy. Make it a Christmas to remember and win a $2,000 Visa Gift Card from Gaviscon to spend on summer entertaining – head to www.gaviscon.com.au/win to enter.