Aloe Vera Mango Ceviche
Raw, citrus-marinated aloe vera takes the place of seafood in an easy vegan twist on the popular South-American ceviche. As healthy as it is colourful, this dish is a delicious way to consume aloe’s immunity-boosting antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals.
A traditional ceviche (originally from Peru), is made from raw fish, typically shrimp, marinated in lemon or lime juice. Here fresh aloe vera gel is a perfect seafood substitute both in texture, and in the way its soaks up the spicy, tangy flavours of the other ingredients.
Marinated in lime juice (Omani loomi best of course), tossed with sweet mango, hot chili, fresh mint, sweet pepper and onion, the aloe vera cubes stay firm and succulent. They burst in the mouth with a refreshing zing of lime, perfectly balancing the heat and sweet taste of peppers and mango.
Serve as a refreshing appetiser with toasted pita bread, or as a side-salad with grains, fish or roast chicken. If you catch yourself eating this straight from the spoon, know that you are not alone! It is seriously addictive!
Ceviche is best made fresh and eaten on the same day but you can save the leftovers for the next day (I’ve been known to polish it off 3-4 days later!). The aloe vera will continue to ‘cure’ in the citrus juices, so the texture will change but the flavour remains.
Prepare a bowl of iced water. Cut off the bottom white base of the aloe vera leaf and the top third of the leaf. Stand the remaining middle section upright in a bowl at an angle of 45 degrees to allow the bitter, yellow-brown aloin or sap to drain off. Leave for 45 minutes to one hour, then wash thoroughly and dry.
On a chopping board, cut the leaf longitudinally into 2cm-wide slices (2-3 s slices depending on width of the leaf). Slide a large knife between the gel and the bottom green rind of each slice. Carefully slide the knife the length of the section pressing down on the rind against the chopping board to separate it from the gel. After removing the bottom rind, turn the leaf over and repeat on the other side. Place the clear gel filet into the iced water to remove the goopy film and repeat for the remaining sections*. Drain the gel filets in a colander, pat and then cut into 1 centimetre cubes.
Place the rinsed aloe vera cubes in a clean bowl and combine with half of the lime juice and half of the salt. Cover and place in fridge to marinate for at least 3 hours or overnight.
After marinating, drain and rinse the aloe thoroughly in cold water. Drain well and combine with the mango, onion, bell pepper, chili, avocado, mint, and remaining lime juice. Add the remaining salt to taste. Garnish with a lime wedge and serve. Keep any leftovers in the fridge for 1-2 days.
If you try this, do leave a comment below and let me know how it turns out for you. If you take photos, make sure to tag me @lizqoasisorganics and #lizqoasisorganics on Instagram and Facebook.
*Bonus beauty tip: some sticky gel will remain on the rind. Keep some pieces of rind in a container in the fridge for several days and use as a cooling moisturiser and pick me-up for your face and hands. Read more about aloe’s skincare benefits
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare a bowl of iced water. Cut off the bottom white base of the aloe vera leaf and the top third of the leaf. Stand the remaining middle section upright in a bowl at an angle of 45 degrees to allow the bitter, yellow-brown aloin or sap to drain off. Leave for 45 minutes to one hour, then wash thoroughly and dry.
On a chopping board, cut the leaf longitudinally into 2cm-wide slices (2-3 s slices depending on width of the leaf). Slide a large knife between the gel and the bottom green rind of each slice. Carefully slide the knife the length of the section pressing down on the rind against the chopping board to separate it from the gel. After removing the bottom rind, turn the leaf over and repeat on the other side. Place the clear gel filet into the iced water to remove the goopy film and repeat for the remaining sections*. Drain the gel filets in a colander, pat and then cut into 1 centimetre cubes.
Place the rinsed aloe vera cubes in a clean bowl and combine with half of the lime juice and half of the salt. Cover and place in fridge to marinate for at least 3 hours or overnight.
After marinating, drain and rinse the aloe thoroughly in cold water. Drain well and combine with the mango, onion, bell pepper, chili, avocado, mint, and remaining lime juice. Add the remaining salt to taste. Garnish with a lime wedge and serve. Keep any leftovers in the fridge for 1-2 days.
