Gordon Ramsay’s salmon ceviche never sees a pan. Sushi-grade salmon sliced thin, dressed in lemon, red onion and chilli, served with a blood orange and fennel salad. Fifteen minutes, knife and board only.
The recipe is printed in Ramsay in 10 as Salmon Ceviche with Orange and Fennel Salad. His headnote calls ceviche “the ultimate fast food”, you don’t even need to cook it. The lemon’s acid does the cooking instead.
Timing is the whole technique. His Fit Food ceviche rule says dress the fish just before eating, leave it 10 minutes, never more than 30. Past that the acid keeps “cooking” and the firm texture goes.
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Gordon Ramsay Salmon Ceviche
Course: AppetizersCuisine: BritishDifficulty: Easy2
servings15
minutes10
minutes330
kcal15 min
Salmon Ceviche with Orange and Fennel Salad from Ramsay in 10, one of four ceviches across his books. Gluten-free, dairy-free, and the sharpest fifteen minutes in the series.
Ingredients
¼ red onion
½ red chilli
1 lemon
1 blood orange, regular orange or grapefruit
2 baby fennel bulbs, fronds reserved
60g (2 cups) mixed lettuce leaves, e.g. watercress, rocket, romaine
½ avocado
Olive oil, for dressing
Pinch of sea salt
180g (6¼ oz) sushi-grade salmon or sea trout
Pinch of crushed pink peppercorns
Directions
- Make the cure base: Peel and finely dice or grate the onion. Deseed and grate the chilli.
- Add the lemon: Zest and juice the lemon, and mix with the chilli and onion.
- Prep the orange: Peel the orange, removing as much pith as you can, and trim the top and bottom. Cut into 6 round slices, squeezing the juice from the offcuts into the onion mixture.
- Build the salad: Finely slice the fennel with a mandoline or sharp knife. Toss with the lettuce, orange slices and cubed avocado, then dress with olive oil and a pinch of salt.
- Slice the fish: On a clean board with a very sharp knife, cut the salmon into 5mm slices. Lay them on a serving dish.
- Dress and serve: Spoon over the onion mixture and gently mix. Sprinkle with pink peppercorns and the chopped fennel fronds, and serve with the salad.
Notes
- Ramsay’s speed tip: cut the stalk end off the chilli and roll it between your palms, the seeds fall straight out. Naturally gluten-free and dairy-free.
FAQs
Is it safe to eat raw salmon?
Yes, with one non-negotiable: sushi-grade fish, whether that’s salmon, sea trout, or the book’s white fish swaps like sea bass and bream. Sushi-grade means the fish has been prepared and frozen in a way that makes it safe to eat raw.
Ask at the counter directly, plenty of fishmongers and supermarket fish counters sell it. The label is what matters, not the shop.
How long should ceviche marinate?
Ten minutes, and never more than thirty. That’s Ramsay’s printed rule from his Fit Food ceviche, and it’s about texture: the lemon’s acid firms the outside of the fish, but left too long it “cooks” all the way through and turns it chalky.
Dress it when the table is nearly ready, not before. This recipe follows the rule by spooning the onion mixture over at serving time.
Does Ramsay have other ceviche recipes?
Four, across four books, and each runs a different citrus. This one cures in lemon with blood orange in the salad. Healthy, Lean and Fit does salmon with grapefruit, avocado and mint at a printed 270 calories. Ultimate Fit Food does sea bass with tomato, lemon and chilli, and Ultimate Home Cooking does mackerel with shaved fennel and grapefruit.
The pattern across all four: one fish, one citrus, one crunch. Learn it once and you can ceviche whatever the fishmonger has best.
What’s the difference between ceviche, cured salmon and tartare?
Time and what does the work. Ceviche is acid, minutes. The beetroot-cured salmon is salt and sugar, 8 hours overnight until the flesh stains ruby. The tuna and avocado tartare skips both, raw fish simply dressed and eaten immediately.
Three raw-fish dishes, three techniques, and this one is the fastest of the family.
What do you serve with salmon ceviche?
The orange and fennel salad is built into the recipe, and the book says get creative with whatever’s in the fridge. For active days, his other ceviche chapter suggests melba toast, rye or pumpernickel bread.
Ramsay pairs ceviche with the lime and mint quinoa salad in Ultimate Home Cooking, the lime ties them together.
