Ceviche de Almejas Estilo Baja (Clam Ceviche)

This recipe was provided by author Kathy Gallantine. She collected it from Antonio Seja Torrez, a clam-picker in Baja. Every day at low tide, Antonio crawls through the mangroves and collects 500 pata de mula "clams," that are really mussels. He carries the several miles to the dock at Magdalena Bay, where he sells them for ten pesos apiece. His daily earnings come to about $2.00 U.S. "About enough to buy a kilo of beans," he says cheerfully. Try this recipe with true clams, but be prepared too pay a much higher price for them! Note: This recipe requires advance preparation.

Ingredients

• Bottled Mexican hot sauce, to taste

• 24 whole clams, removed from their shells

• 1 onion, chopped

• 1 tomato, chopped

• Juice of 6 to 8 Mexican (Key) limes

• Salt and black pepper to taste

• 1/4 bunch fresh cilantro (optional)

• 2 pounds crushed ice (optional)

Instructions

Combine all of the ingredients except the cilantro and the ice. Put the ceviche into a covered ceramic bowl and refrigerate it until it’s well-chilled, about 3 hours.. Serve it immediately or let the flavors marry and serve it up to three days later.

To serve the ceviche Guaymas-style, save the clam shells and scrub them well. Fill 4 to 6 shallow bowls or plates with crushed ice. Nest the half shells into the ice and heap them with the ceviche. Then garnish each plate with a sprig of cilantro.

Variation: Use freshly shucked oysters in place of the clams. Omit the tomato and add an 8-ounce can of sliced water chestnuts, and 1/2 of a red bell pepper, seeds removed, and chopped.