Prep: 1 hr // Chill: 45 min
What is it?
We Greeks have a passion for fresh fish and seafood, as well as refreshing fruity and tangy small bites (mezze) during the sizzling Greek summer. Interestingly, Peruvians on the opposite side of the world share this love! They excel in showcasing some of the world's finest cooking techniques for fish and seafood. Ceviche is their hallmark dish, and we fell in love with it during our travels to Peru. Since then, I often prepare it (when I find some nice fresh fish at the market) because it brings back those warm, tropical, and zesty sensations to our souls. The recipe is from the amazing Chef Héctor, a renowned chef in Lima who runs a cooking school and whom we met during our travels.
How to Master the Art of Ceviche
There are undoubtedly numerous methods for making ceviche, with hundreds of recipes available for inspiration. Some methods are simple, while others are more complex and enhance the flavor. Above all, ceviche is a ritual, an art that, when mastered, can elevate your dish to fine dining standards. After several years of hands-on ceviche preparation, reading various cookbooks, and taking cooking lessons during my travels to Peru, here’s what helped me elevate my ceviche to the next level:
1. First and foremost: FRESH FISH. Emphasizing the importance of obtaining the freshest fish cannot be overstated. Food safety is crucial since eating ceviche involves consuming raw fish, so I would avoid supermarket pre-packed fish, as most of it is frozen and sourced from farms in distant countries. The finest ceviche is made from fresh fish caught in the open sea. Ideal choices include relatively firm fillets like sea bass, sole, and red snapper. However, I've also seen ceviche in restaurants made with tuna and salmon, or prawns and scallops, which are quite delicious as well.
2. The MARINADE. Marinades can be quick and easy, or they can be authentic. The distinction between simplicity and authenticity lies in the preparation method and the choice of herbs and ingredients. A basic recipe might involve merely soaking the fish fillets in lime (or lemon) juice, but in Peru, chefs perfect the art of "marinade infusion" by using a pestle to press each ingredient into the mixture, almost like a ritual. I describe this process in detail in the instruction section below.
3. COOKING TIME. If you leave the fish in the acidic marinade for over a few hours, it will begin to lose its texture. On the other hand, if you marinate it for less than 20 minutes, the fish will have a "raw" and chewy texture. After numerous trials in my kitchen, I've determined that the optimal minimum "cooking" time is 30-45 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish pieces.
Recipe
Equipment
Big bowl, food processor or blender, large sieve, sharp knife
Ingredients (serves 4)
2 fresh fish fillets (e.g. around 500g red snapper, sea bass or sole)
1 Red onion
1 Chilli pepper
6-8 limes
2 garlic cloves
25g fresh coriander
3 cm fresh ginger root
1 cup ice
1 medium sweet potato
Salt & Pepper
Optional Ingredients:
2-3 cooked king prawns
2 tbsp Aji Amarillo paste
1 tbsp Rocoto Chilli paste (or use 1 tbsp Cholula sauce)
Method
First things first. Take a moment to read through the steps before starting, and make sure you’ve got all the ingredients and equipment ready.
Cut your fish with a sharp knife in fillets, remove skin and bones and chop in small cube bites. If your fishmonger is happy to do that for you, skip this step. Put the fish back in the fridge until the marinade is prepared.
I like to serve ceviche mixed with other seafood (called "ceviche mixto"), usually prawns or octopus. Skip this step if you are not using any of these. Otherwise, peel, cook (boil) and slice the prawns/octopus into 0.5 cm thin discs and set aside until serving
Cut the chilli lengthwise, remove seeds and veins (can be very spicy) and slice in small dice. Cut the red onion in half, remove the core (save it, we will use it later on) and slice the rest into thin julienne-style stripes. Soak the slices in salt and vinegar water until you are ready to serve (this will reduce their intensity). Cut and set aside the stems off the coriander and finely chop the leaves for the garnish.
In a big bowl, squeeze the limes using both hands; try not to press the lime vigorously as it will affect the acidity. Acidity is important for “cooking” raw fish. The number of limes in this recipe should give you almost one cup of juice.
Pour the juice into the blender (or food processor) and add a cup of ice, the onion cores, a clove of garlic, pinch of salt and pepper. Blitz until smooth.
Add the coriander stems into the blender and whiz one more time, just enough to break them lightly and juices to incorporate.
Pass the blended mixture through the sieve back to the bowl. If using ginger, peel it and slice it roughly. Press the slices in the mix with a pestle to squeeze out some juice for 30 seconds and strain through the sieve again. Discard the ginger slices. Taste and adjust the salt to your liking. This is your ceviche marinade.
Optional Step: Some restaurants infuse the marinade with a very tasty Aji Amarillo pepper sauce, and call the marinade "tiger milk". That can be achieved by adding 2 tbsp Aji Amarillo paste and 1-2 tbsp Rocoto Chilli paste. This ceviche tastes great anyway so these pastes are only optionally suggested.
Toss the fish into the marinade bowl, top it with the onion stripes, diced chilli and finely chopped coriander leaves and leave it in the fridge to soak for around 45 minutes.
While the fish is "cooked", you can boil a sweet potato and cut it into cubes or use an avocado instead if you are in a rush to serve. You can be creative here using other fruits like mango or cherry tomatoes too. Optionally, when the sweet potato is boiled and sliced, some chefs caramelise it in a pan using orange or passion fruit juice with a couple of tbsp sugar which makes it incredibly tasty.
Serve the fish with the prawns, potato or avocado/tomato garnish, chopped coriander leaves, diced chilli, and some onion slices and 2 tbsp from the marinade per serving.
Where to Try the Best Ceviche in Lima
Lima is a vibrant city with a huge food scene and some of the most spectacularly authentic food markets (like Mercado De Surquillo which I love). As you can imagine, ceviche is served everywhere. Even in Larco Museum's bar! However, I would suggest hanging around with locals to get the best out of it so why not consider trying a food tour with Ronny from Food Tour Lima!
Shopping List
Below you will find my favourite authentic products (affiliate links) I used to cook and shoot this recipe. By clicking and purchasing through these links, I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. This allows me to keep the site up to date and do more research on food, ingredients and photography. Thanks for reading!
Aji Amarillo Paste
It is an orange-yellowish chilli with a fruity yet earthy flavour, used widely in Peruvian cuisine. As such fresh Ají chillies are hard to find outside Peru, I’d recommend buying the Rico Picante or the Chatica Ají Amarillo paste from Amazon which I've tested and works like charm.
Check more recipes with Aji Amarillo.
Rocoto Chilli Paste
It's the Peruvian version of the sweet chilli sauce we eat with Asian food. The Chatica brand is very fragrant and nicely spicy, made of spicy rocoto South American chillies and lime juice, it will brighten up any dish or marinade. Can be used for ceviche but also in other recipes like my Peruvian Quinoa soup.
Comments