Ceviche

Ingredients

Fish

• 800 gvery fresh white fish fillet (corvina, sea bass or flounder), skinned, pin-boned and cut into 2 cm cubes
• 2 tspfine salt

Leche de tigre

• 250 mllime juice, from about 20 limón sutil, squeezed by hand
• 1ají limo, deseeded and minced, plus 1 sliced into rings
• 1garlic clove, crushed to a paste
• 10 gginger (kion), finely grated
• 1 tbspcoriander stalks, finely chopped
• 4–5ice cubes

To serve

• 1red onion, sliced paper-thin, soaked in iced water
• 1sweet potato (camote), boiled and sliced
• 1corn cob (choclo), boiled and the kernels cut off
• 50 gcancha serrana (toasted corn)
• a few lettuce leaves
• coriander leaves

Directions

1. Chill everything first: bowl, fish, spoons and plates. Ceviche is a cold dish and any warmth turns the fish chalky.
2. Boil the sweet potato whole for 25 minutes and the choclo with a pinch of sugar until tender; toast the cancha in a little oil with salt over medium heat until it pops and goes golden.
3. Slice the onion as thinly as you can, soak it in iced water for 10 minutes to draw out the bite, and drain it well.
4. Season the fish cubes with the salt, toss and leave 2 minutes. Salting first opens the surface so the lime works evenly, and it is now standard practice in Lima.
5. Squeeze the limes by hand and stop before you crush the peel, which makes the juice bitter. Mix the juice with the garlic, ginger, minced ají and coriander stalks, then drop in the ice cubes.
6. Pour the leche de tigre over the fish, stir gently and cure for 2–10 minutes only. The outside should turn opaque while the centre stays translucent.
7. In the last 30 seconds fold through the drained onion and the coriander leaves. Taste: it must be sharp, salty and hot, with the sweetness of the fish still showing through.
8. Serve immediately with camote, choclo, cancha, lettuce and the ají rings on top, and drink the leftover leche de tigre from the bowl.

Technique

• Lime does not cook the fish, it denatures the surface proteins, and it does not make questionable fish safe. Buy fish you would happily eat raw, on the day, and keep it at fridge temperature the whole time.
• Overcuring is the classic mistake. Past about 15 minutes the cubes go firm, white all the way through and cottony. Old-style ceviche cured for 20 minutes or more; modern Peruvian practice is almost à la minute.
• The sweet potato and the toasted corn are not garnish. Their sweetness and crunch are there to balance the acid, and Peruvians eat a piece of each with every mouthful.

Substitutions

• No limón sutil: Key limes are the closest. Persian limes are less acidic and less aromatic, so use a little more juice and cure a minute longer.
• No ají limo: use a quarter of a habanero for heat, or ají amarillo paste for the fruit without the fire.

Variations

• Ceviche mixto, with squid, octopus and prawns blanched and added to the fish.
• Tiradito, the fish sliced like sashimi with no onion and the sauce poured over at the table.
• Ceviche de conchas negras, the black clams of Tumbes, served in their own dark liquor.

History

Costa Rican ceviche uses sea bass cured in lime with cilantro and finely diced onion and pepper, and is served with soda crackers.

Frequently asked questions

What is Ceviche?

Ceviche is a snack from Costa Rica: sea bass cured in lime with cilantro and onion. Costa Rican ceviche uses sea bass cured in lime with cilantro and finely diced onion and pepper, and is served with soda crackers.

How long does Ceviche take to make?

Ceviche takes 20 min of preparation and 10 min curing of cooking. The recipe makes 4 servings. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Ceviche?

Yes, within limits. No limón sutil: Key limes are the closest. Persian limes are less acidic and less aromatic, so use a little more juice and cure a minute longer. No ají limo: use a quarter of a habanero for heat, or ají amarillo paste for the fruit without the fire.

What is the most important thing to get right in Ceviche?

In the last 30 seconds fold through the drained onion and the coriander leaves. Taste: it must be sharp, salty and hot, with the sweetness of the fish still showing through.