Last updated 19:39, Thursday, 01 May 2008

WE’RE going on holiday this week (lucky us). When ever we travel from Manchester, we stay at an airport hotel before we fly.

This means we start our holiday early as we take a train into town, from the airport to go out to a restaurant the night before we jet off.

For as long as we can remember, we’ve been going to a restaurant called Gaucho Grill and it’s so good that we can’t change the habit of a lifetime.

The term gaucho refers to a cowboy.

The restaurant is Argentinean in theme and specialises in great Argentinean meats – specifically steaks.

Imagine the strong, silent nomadic cowboys roaming the pampas on their horses and you get the idea.

However, all that aside, the restaurant serves some starters there that are the theme for this week’s column.

Ceviche - a fantastic and really easy dish that literally bursts with flavour.

Broadly speaking ceviche is a raw seafood dish that has a citrus marinade.

The citrus acid cures or ‘cooks’ the fish without the need for heat. The dish is popular in many Latin American countries and they all seem to favour their own variations of fish with various marinades.

What is great about Gaucho Grill is that they do a dish called the ceviche sampler, where you get to select any three from their list of choices.

It’s a starter we go for every time. Find out more about this restaurant on www.gauchorestaurants.co.uk

But if you’re not lucky enough to visit Manchester this week, here’s our own ceviche sampler menu.

Trust us, they really do taste great. Don’t be too squeamish about the use of raw fish. The citrus juices do ‘cook’ the fish and the longer you leave them to marinate, the more cooked they become.

Imagine this as an impressive starter at a dinner party. Serve it in the middle of the table where the guests help themselves and decide which their favourite combination is.

Needless to say, fresh fish is an absolute must here.

Serves 4

Salmon, ginger and lime

1 salmon fillet around 6 oz skinned and pin boned from the fish counter

2 limes

1 small finger of ginger, peeled and finely grated

½ red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped

1 dessertspoon Soy sauce

Crushed black pepper

1 dessertspoon sweet chilli sauce

1 handful fresh coriander, chopped

Rocket

Crème fraiche

Finely slice the salmon fillet. Zest and juice the limes into a bowl. Bung in the ginger, soy, chilli, a pinch of black pepper and sweet chilli. Add the salmon to the bowl and mix well so the sauce coats the salmon. Leave for as long as you like to ‘cook’ (between five minutes and three hours). Add the chopped coriander. Garnish with a few rocket leaves and a dollop of crème fraiche.

Tuna, avocado and wasabi

1 fillet of tuna 6oz

½ avocado (skin removed and cut into chunks at the last minute, before serving to avoid going brown)

Juice of 2 limes

1 tblsp sesame oil

½ red onion diced

Dash of soy sauce

½ teaspoon wasabi paste (or more if you dare according to your taste)

1 handful fresh coriander, chopped

Toasted sesame seeds (optional)

Combine the lime juice, sesame oil, onion, soy and wasabi in a medium sized bowl.

Finely slice or dice the tuna and pop into the marinade. ‘Cook’ as before with the salmon.

When you are ready to serve, add the avocado and coriander. Garnish with sesame seeds that have been lightly toasted in a dry frying pan if you wish.

Scallop with garlic and thyme

8-10 fresh scallops (or frozen and defrosted available in either Tesco or Marks and Spencer)

Zest and juice of 2 lemons

1 clove garlic, crushed

½ tablespoon of fresh thyme leaves, chopped

3 spring onions, chopped

Dash Tabasco or a little fresh chilli, deseeded and finely chopped

This is the easiest of the three.

Combine the lemon, garlic, thyme, spring onion and Tabasco or chilli in a bowl.

Finely slice the scallops lengthways into thin strips and ‘cook’ in the marinade. That’s it, you’re done!

Serve with a good ciabatta, finely sliced and toasted or tortilla chips.