A dish of Peruvian origin where the fish is “cooked” in acid rather than with heat. Ceviche is popular all over the Americas, but is also at home in other cuisines around the world.
Each country with a tradition of ceviche does things a little differently. Mexico has a number of ceviches where the fish is served in a tomato salsa. Peru has a preparation that serves the fish in a sauce made from ajo amarillo, a famous Peruvian chile. Meanwhile the Philippines has a style of ceviche called kinilaw that is served with coconut milk.
There are as many ways of making ceviche as there are fish in the sea. However, nearly all of the variations share the common base of fish marinated in acid (mostly lime juice) and salt. As such, the recipe presented here should be considered a base. Once the fish is marinated, take it out of the lime juice, add some chilies and other flavors and then enjoy. You are only limited by your imagination.
Serves 6 people as a starter
1 1/2
lb fresh fish3/4
cup freshly squeezed lime juice1
tbsp salt
Cut the fish across the grain into pieces no more than 1/2 inch thick.
Mix the salt and limes together. Add the fish and toss to coat. If the fish is not completely covered, toss a few more times while marinating. Marinate until the fish becomes firm and opaque in color. For some fish this may take only a few minutes, others may take 30 minutes or longer.
The fish, in this case Grouper, fully marinated. Note the opaque white color that tells you its done
Once "cooked", drain off most of the juice. Mix the fish with a number of other flavors (see additional recipes below) and serve.
When making ceviche, think about the mouth feel that you want to create. Cut the fish into pieces that appropriate the size and shape you want to achieve that goal.
Use
Mexican or key limes whenever possible.
Use good quality salt. Table salt is an inferior product to
kosher salt. Best of all use
fleur de sel.
For small fish such as sardines, leave the skin on but score it to allow the acid to penetrate the flesh evenly.
In Peru, the fish is traditionally combined with thinly sliced red onion and hot pepper and served with slices of a starchy vegetable such as sweet potato. Bitter and starchy flavors are a good combination to try to achieve. Your bitter flavors might come from onions, fennel or chilies. Your starch could be anything from slices of potato, a mound of popcorn or a few corn chips.
Ceviche recipes