Raw food, anyone? Incredible tuna seviche

I'm back again with another recipe, as I just LOVE food. But I'm very much an 'everything in moderation' type, so while I do enjoy vegetarian, vegan and Raw dishes (such as this one), I can't pin myself down to any in particular. I might try to claim myself a vegetarian, but then crave a good steak and burger just a few days later. And as you'll see below, a Raw food diet does NOT equal being a vegetarian!

Vegan? Sure, I can do that for awhile and have a few great recipes too...but when clam chowder is on the menu in the work cafeteria all bets are off.

This recipe is from Carol Alt's book Eating In the Raw, which is a great introductory reference to understanding Raw food and the lifestyle.

Serves 4

3/4 lb sushi-grade bigeye tuna, thinly sliced

1/4 C red onion, thinly sliced

1/4 C celery, thinly sliced

1/4 C red and/or yellow bell peppers, thinly sliced

1/2 fresh jalapeno, thinly sliced

4 tsp scallions, finely chopped

chives, for garnish

Marinade:

1 C freshly squeezed orange juice

1/2 C freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/2 C freshly squeezed lime juice

1/4 C raw soy sauce (Nama Shoyu, unpasteurized soy sauce)

3/4 C raw olive oil

1 T minced garlic

1 T peeled, minced fresh gingerroot

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

I like keeping the tuna in the marinade up to 8 hours or overnight, as the citrus juices "cook" the outer portion of the tuna. I whisk the marinade ingredients in a large, 8-cup (2 quart) Pyrex measuring cup and then gently add the tuna pieces, cover with plastic wrap and chill.

To serve, lay out 4 chilled salad plates, combine the tuna, marinade and vegetables, mix well and serve onto each salad plate.