Recipe: Mitch Tonks' ceviche of salmon, dill and celery

Taken from Rockfish: The Cookbook, by Mitch Tonks (Jon Croft Editions, £18)

Eating raw fish might seem a little odd to some people and for that reason it has only made a brief appearance on menus at Rockfish. But it is something we all love and I wanted to share a few of our favourite ways of preparing it. There is something really delicious about the texture of raw fish that has been ‘cooked’ in citrus juice. It’s a simple process and each one of these dishes is a flavour bomb in the mouth. Just pop to your fishmonger and buy the freshest fish you can. Don’t leave it to sit in your fridge for days. Buy it fresh and eat it fresh.

Salmon is particularly good raw and in dishes like this it takes on other flavours really well. With the crunch of the celery, fresh limes and red onion, this is a classic ceviche. Serves 4 as a starter

• 280g skinless salmon fillet (I like the fatty belly part, but if that’s not for you then a slice from the middle or tail will work well too)
• A good pinch of fine salt
• Juice of 2 limes
• 1 celery stick, strings peeled and finely sliced
• A small handful of dill, chopped
• 6 mint leaves, roughly chopped
• ½ red onion, finely sliced
• 2tbs olive oil
• ½tsp red peppercorns

Cut the fish into rough chunks, about 1.5cm. Sprinkle with salt and then with lime juice. Leave in the fridge for up to 10 minutes to allow the fish to ‘cook’.

Add the remaining ingredients, except the oil and peppercorns, and toss together. Lift the mixture on to plates and pour over the juices. Drizzle over the olive oil, then crush the peppercorns over the top and serve.

Photography by Chris Terry