A summer of stone fruit makes for refreshing meals
CHINS and arms across the nation are set to be drenched in rich, succulent summer stonefruit juice as Aussies prepare their taste buds for a bumper harvest of delicious local peaches, nectarines, plums and apricots.
When shopping for ready-to-eat stonefruit, look out for fruit that is fragrant and yields gently to palm pressure. The stem end of the fruit should be plump.
Peaches bruise easily so look for smooth, unblemished fruit and handle them with care. When ripe, they should produce a delectable full-bodied aroma.
Nectarines tend to be a little easier to select and will give slightly when they are soft and juicy. A good sign of how sweet they are is the presence of white freckles on the top half.
When selecting plums, make sure you go for the ones that are plump and full-coloured while apricots should be deep yellow, well-formed and firm.
White fish and nectarine ceviche
Serves 4
Ingredients
100g skinless firm white fish, such as snapper or kingfish, cut into 1cm pieces
¼ small red onion, finely chopped
100ml lime juice
1 yellow nectarine, cut into 1cm pieces
1 tbs each finely chopped coriander and mint
1 long red chilli, seeds removed, finely chopped
2 x 30g radish, julienned
½ ripe avocado, finely diced
toasted bread or butter lettuce leaves, to serve
Method
Combine fish, onion and lime juice in a glass or ceramic bowl, season and leave for 45 minutes to "cook" and the fish becomes opaque.
Add remaining ingredients to bowl, and stir gently to combine. Set aside in the fridge for 15 minutes to allow flavours to develop.
Serve ceviche with bread or lettuce as desired.
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