Young coconut ceviche with fennel, avocado, nori flakes and baked pumpkin

I have always wanted to try a vegetarian version of ceviche, and tonight while sipping on a fresh young coconut I realised the white slippery flesh looked a bit like raw fish! LOL :) As it turns out, young coconut is great in ceviche, with nori flakes giving that necessary hint of the sea. The combination is complemented by chilli, lime, and coriander; crunchy fennel and red capsicum add to the texture and colour, and the baked pumpkin adds sweetness and warmth. If you want to make this into a full Peruvian-inspired meal, serve with corn on the cob and some pan-fried tempeh marinated in garlic and soy sauce.

Serves 2

1 young coconut, flesh only, cut into thin strips (drink the coconut water while cooking!)
Juice of 1 lime
Zest of 1/2 lime
1 chilli, thinly sliced
1 shallot, thinly sliced
1/2-1 sheet of nori, torn/cut into small flakes or strips
1 handful of coriander, chopped
1 Tbsp olive oil
Sea salt

1/2 red capsicum, thinly sliced
1/2 baby fennel, thinly sliced
1/2 avocado, diced
2 thin (less than 1cm) pumpkin rounds

Method
Place the young coconut strips, lime juice and zest, chilli, shallot, nori flakes, coriander, olive oil, and some sea salt in a bowl and leave to marinate for one hour. Meanwhile brush the pumpkin with olive oil and bake in a 200C oven until soft (about 15 minutes). When ready to serve, carefully toss the red capsicum, fennel, and avocado through the coconut mixture. Arrange ceviche on top of baked pumpkin rounds and dust with sea salt. Buen provecho!