In the smoldering heat of August, leave your oven off, chop this main dish early in the day, then sip with a crisp sauvignon blanc or a bottle of bubbly – hey, who says, supper can’t be fun?

Refreshing ceviche “cooks” the fish in tangy, lemon, lime and orange juices, and this version pairs the fish with buttery avocado, sweet tomatoes and a kicky tomatillo-jalapeño sauce, a creative combo from Chef Andrew Sutton at Carthay Circle Restaurant at Disneyland. (We were happy he would part with the recipe, so we had to share this fresh, healthy dish.)

Make sure you start with the freshest, cleanest seafood – make sure it smells like the ocean when you buy it. If you can’t find halibut and yellowtail, ask your fishmonger for recommendations.

CEVICHE WITH TOMATILLO-JALAPEÑO SAUCE

Serves 4 to 6

For the halibut ceviche:

1/2 pound sushi-grade halibut, diced into 1/4-inch cubes

1/4 pound yellowtail, diced into 1/4-inch cubes

1/4 cup fresh orange juice

1/2 cup fresh lime juice

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

Coarse salt, to taste

1 Roma tomato, seeded and finely chopped

1/2 cup finely chopped cucumber, peeled and seeded

1/4 cup chopped cilantro, divided

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided

Juice of 2 limes, divided

1 Haas avocado, finely chopped

2 tablespoons yellow onion, finely chopped

1 thinly sliced red jalapeño, for garnish

For the tomatillo-jalapeño sauce:

1/2 cup chopped yellow onion

1 small clove garlic, minced

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1/2 jalapeño, thinly sliced with seeds

3 tomatillos, sliced

1 cucumber, peeled and coarsely chopped

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

Coarse salt, to taste

Make the halibut ceviche:

Mix together halibut, yellowtail, orange juice, lime juice and lemon juice in a glass bowl, stirring to coat fish. Add a generous pinch of salt, cover and refrigerate 4 to 6 hours.

After fish marinates 4 to 6 hours, and just before serving, drain and stir together ceviche with tomato, cucumber, half of chopped cilantro, 1 tablespoon olive oil, juice of 1 lime, and salt in a mixing bowl.

In another bowl, mix avocado, onion, remaining chopped cilantro, remaining lime juice, remaining olive oil and salt.

To serve, spoon 3 to 4 tablespoons of tomatillo-jalapeño sauce onto each plate. Top each with equal amounts of avocado salad, then ceviche. Garnish with jalapeño slices.

Make the tomatillo-jalapeño sauce:

Sauté onions and garlic in olive oil in a medium saucepan over low heat. Add jalapeños and tomatillos, cover with water and simmer until tomatillo is tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat, cool and drain.

Puree mixture with cucumber and cilantro in a blender. Strain through a fine strainer and season with salt. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

◊

Diva confession: Ceviche (also spelled cebiche and seviche, and commonly pronounced say-VEE-chay) originated in Peru, possibly as a way to preserve fresh fish before refrigeration. The leftover ceviche marinade is known as tiger’s milk (leche de tigre), and often is served alongside the ceviche in a small glass – some say it’s a great cure for hangovers mixed with a little vodka.