Ceviche is a traditional dish served in restaurants all over Peru. There are hundreds of variations of this signature recipe. Personally, I am more of a purist and prefer the simpler versions using the five basic ingredients of: fish, salt, lime, chili peppers and onions.
This recipe is from the Lima Gourmet Company, a great food tour and cooking class that was one of the highlights of my recent trip to Lima.
CEVICHE // serves 4
prep time: 15 minutes // cook time: 15 minutes // TOTAL TIME: 30 min
INGREDIENTS: CEVICHE
- 800 g. white fish ( about 1.75 lbs. of sole, sea bass or flounder )
- 300 g. red onion - julienne ( finely sliced )
- 2 aji limo peppers - if you can't find this, substitute with habanero peppers
- 12 limes
- 500 ml. of "tiger's milk"
- 1 tbsp. finely chopped cilantro
- salt to taste
- ice cubes
INGREDIENTS: TIGER'S MILK
- 500 ml of lime juice
- 500 ml of water
- 200 g. fish stock
- 25 g. rocoto chili ( deveined and seeds removed )
- 25 g. aji amarillo ( deveined and seeds removed )
- 25 g. aji limo ( deveined and seeds removed ) - if you can't find this, substitute with habanero peppers
- 50 g. celery
- 10 g. ginger
- 30 g. red onion
- 50 g. salt
- 10 g. white pepper
METHOD:
- Soak the chopped onions in cold water with ice.
- Cut the fish into medium-sized cubes, and place in a large mixing bowl.
- Add the onions, lime juice and season with salt.
- Tiger's Milk: Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and let marinade for 5 minutes. Blend all the ingredients in a blender or food processor and strain through a sieve.
- Add the "tiger's milk" gradually until desired taste is obtained.
- Let the fish marinade for 10 minutes in the fridge before serving to allow the fish to "cook."
- Garnish with cilantro.
NOTES:
- Serve this dish with slices of cooked sweet potatoes and corn on the side which is the traditional accompaniments.
- Only use the freshest, semi firm, white-fleshed sea water fish like sole, flounder or sea bass. Don't use oily fish like tuna or mackerel.
- Use fresh limes and don't squeeze all the juice out of them to avoid bitterness.
- Make sure to cut your fish evenly so it cooks evenly.