A tasty ceviche made with ono (also known as wahoo) fish, lime, avocado, tomatoes, red onions, jalapeños and more! Ono (Wahoo) Ceviche is a refreshing dish and great way to enjoy local fish.
I received a reader request for a simple recipe using ono fish.
Ono (also known as Wahoo if you're outside of Hawaii) is a great fish but can be easily overcooked because it has a low fat content.
I had a few ideas, but all that went out the window when I asked our local fishmonger what she would do. She said, "definitely ceviche!"
I said, "ceviche?! I never thought of that!"
Such a good idea! She offered a few tips and I went home to make this dish the same afternoon. This is a very flexible recipe.
Make sure to use sashimi grade ono / wahoo.
The fish is "cooked" in lime juice.
It's then tossed with other ingredients like red onions, cherry tomatoes, jalapeños, cucumber, avocado, and cilantro. If you don't have one or a few of these ingredients, you can skip it. If you have them all, use it.
Add sea salt and olive oil at the end. Salt gives it a flavor boost. The olive oil brings everything together and tempers the acid from the lime.
Ono / Wahoo Fish
Ono is a very popular fish in Hawaii!
You can find it on the menu of many restaurants and can buy it fresh at the supermarket. I've seen prices range from about $15-25 a pound.
If you ask for ono outside of Hawaii people might not know what you mean. So remember: ono when you are in Hawaii, and wahoo when you are not in Hawaii.
I purchased the ono for today's recipe from Local I'a. The Kaimuki shop is open Friday and Saturdays (photo of their menu board pictured above, it changes weekly). They're also at many Oahu farmers markets.
They sell only local Hawaii fish and it is very good. I used half the ono to make this ceviche and the other half to make steamed ono.
Ingredients
Here's what you'll need:
- Ono (wahoo) fish - make sure to use sashimi grade fish.
- Limes
- Red onion
- Cherry tomatoes
- Jalapeños
- Japanese cucumber
- Avocado
- Cilantro
- Sea salt
- Olive oil
Instructions
Let's get cooking!
Prepare the fish.
Cut the ono / wahoo fish into small cubes, about ½-inch big.
Prepare the lime.
Squeeze the juice from 3 limes into into a big bowl. Add the chopped fish to the bowl and gently mix.
Cover and let sit in the refrigerator for 15-30 minutes. The lime juice will "cook" the fish.
Drain the juice.
Remove from the refrigerator and drain the lime juice that was used to "cook" the fish.
Add other ingredients and season.
Then add the red onion, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, jalapeños to the bowl. Mix.
Add the juice from 1 lime to the bowl. Mix.
Add the sea salt and olive oil, and mix once more. Let sit for 5 minutes.
Add avocado and serve.
Cut the avocado into ½-inch pieces and gently mix that in right before you're ready to eat. Enjoy! It's very good with tortilla chips ^_^
Top Tip
The recipe (Step 3) calls for draining the lime juice used to "cook" the fish. Don't skip this step. It's a small step but makes a big difference.
After "cooking" the fish, the lime juice turns a little milky and takes on some fish flavor. Draining the lime juice before adding the other ingredients (tomatoes, cucumber, avocado, etc), keeps the other ingredients bright and fresh.
We save the juice from the last lime and add that after adding all the other ingredients. That way everything still gets a touch of lime.
FAQ
It's best enjoyed within an hour of preparation. Ceviche is not a dish you want to make in advance. Leftovers will not be good.
Just make as much as you plan to eat. ^_^
Tortilla chips! I love this best as a light lunch, afternoon snack, or tasty solo dinner.
There's plenty you can do! A few ideas to get started:
- Replace cilantro with chives. Or use both.
- Like this really spicy? Replace jalapeño peppers with serrano peppers.
- Do you have good and fresh mangoes? Replace the tomatoes with mango!
This is a flexible recipe! Don't have tomatoes, cucumbers, or avocado? Skip one or skip them all. I like adding them all for color and because vegetables are great, but this will still be a delicious recipe either way.
In addition to ono / wahoo, you can use any other type of firm fish.
Make sure to use only sashimi quality fish. Other popular options are snapper, salmon, ahi (tuna), fluke, and sea bass.
Ono / Wahoo Ceviche Recipe
Ono / Wahoo Ceviche
Ingredients
- 1 pound ono / wahoo fish sashimi grade
- 4 limes
- ¼ red onion finely diced
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes cut in half (or quartered if they're big)
- 1-2 jalapeños seeds removed, then chopped
- 1 Japanese cucumber cut into ¼ inch pieces
- 1 avocado
- ½ bunch cilantro chopped
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Instructions
- Cut the ono / wahoo fish into small cubes, about ½-inch big.
- Squeeze the juice from 3 limes into into a big bowl. Add the chopped fish to the bowl and gently mix. Cover and let sit in the refrigerator for 15-30 minutes. The lime juice will "cook" the fish.
- Remove from the refrigerator and drain the lime juice that was used to "cook" the fish.
- Then add the red onion, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, jalapeños to the bowl. Mix.
- Add the juice from 1 lime to the bowl. Mix.
- Add the sea salt and olive oil, and mix once more. Let sit for 5 minutes.
- Cut the avocado into ½-inch pieces and gently mix that in right before you're ready to eat.Enjoy! It's very good with tortilla chips ^_^
Really love this recipe!