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Authentic Ceviche Recipe Peru, South America
JUMP TO RECIPEWe strongly advise you to read the cooking tips before jumping to the recipe though
Introduction & history
Fresh and fragrant, ceviche is a simple dish that requires no cooking, although it relies heavily on the freshness of its ingredients. It is made with raw fish fillets cut into bite-sized squares, stripes, or thin slices, and marinated in lime or, rarely, lemon juice. The acids from the citrus denature the fish proteins in the same way as it is done by cooking, so the fish changes its color from pink to white, but without being exposed to heat. The best choice for making ceviche is sea fish with firm white flesh, such as sea bass, striped bass, grouper, sole, or flounder. Still, local variations of this dish can be prepared with other seafood such as seashells, shrimps, and octopus, even with dried fish. After marinating the fish, fresh, thinly sliced onions are added, along with some fresh herbs such as cilantro, and finely chopped chili peppers like ají limo or amarillo. All the ingredients are combined gently, and the ceviche is usually served cold with a ... Read more
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Cooking tips
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fish
The fish for a ceviche needs to be fresh and very cold. To prepare the fillets, remove the skin, the bones, and the bloodline, so only the pure white meat remains. The fish can be cut into small cubes, stripes, or slices depending on taste and cooled with a couple of ice cubes that need to be removed before further seasoning. -
citrus
The citrus (limes, lemons, or sour orange) should be squeezed gently to avoid extracting the citrus oil from the peel, which could make the juice taste bitter. The juice should be squeezed right before adding it to the dish. -
chili peppers
Various types of chili peppers can be used for ceviche, with ají limo or amarillo being the most common kinds. The chili is split in half lengthwise, and the seeds are scraped out using a knife – beware, some extra hot kinds may harm your skin. The chili is then cut into thin slices or small cubes. In case you're making ceviche with other kinds of seafood besides fish, rocoto pepper is the preferred ... Read more -
onion
As far as the onion is concerned, it's recommended to peel off the first few layers, which will partly remove its strong smell. Once julienned, the onion slices should be placed in ice-cold water to crisp up and become sweeter. Before being added to the fish, they need to be well-drained. -
salt
The salt should be added to the fish first to firm up the flesh before the remaining ingredients are added. Also, do not be afraid to be generous with the salt, as it's needed to balance the acidity of the lime juice. -
marination
Depending on taste, the fish should be marinated anywhere from 5 minutes to half an hour. In any case, it should be kept in the refrigerator, submerged in the juice completely, and turned a few times if you decide to marinate it for more than 10 minutes. It's not recommended to marinate the fish for longer than 30 minutes as the fish will turn dry and chalky.
Recipe variations
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Modern Spicy Ceviche
Ready in 1hThe following recipe was adapted from the cookbook Ceviche: Peruvian Kitchen by Martin Morales, an award-winning London-based Peruvian chef. It includes instructions for homemade Amarillo chili tiger’s milk and paste, which give this dish an extra spicy twist. Also, in this version of the recipe the potatoes are combined with the ceviche rather than being served on the side.
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Ceviche de Conchas Negras (Peru)
Ready in 30minThe following is the typical and traditional recipe for Peru-style ceviche de conchas negras. The meat of black shells is mixed with garlic paste, rocoto hot pepper paste, ají limo pepper slices, cilantro, lime juice, red onion slices, salt, and pepper. The recipe is done in a flash, and the ceviche should be served with typical Peruvian accompaniments — in this case, choclo, a type of parboiled corn, and parboiled sweet potato.
Modern Spicy Ceviche
PREP 20min
COOK 20min
RESTING 20min
READY IN 1h
The following recipe was adapted from the cookbook Ceviche: Peruvian Kitchen by Martin Morales, an award-winning London-based Peruvian chef. It includes instructions for homemade Amarillo chili tiger’s milk and paste, which give this dish an extra spicy twist. Also, in this version of the recipe the potatoes are combined with the ceviche rather than being served on the side.
Ingredients
Modern Spicy Ceviche
FOR AMARILLO CHILI PASTE:
1 tsp vegetable oil
3 1/2 oz (100g) fresh (or frozen) seeded chilies of your choice
or
1 tsp (35g) reconstituted seeded dried chilies of your choice, roughly chopped
1/2 small onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
FOR AMARILLO CHILI TIGER'S MILK:
1/4 inch (5 mm) piece fresh ginger, cut in half
1 small clove garlic, cut in half
4 roughly chopped cilantro sprigs
8 limes, juiced
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp amarillo chili paste
FOR CEVICHE:
1 large red onion, very thinly sliced
1 1/3 lb (600g) sea bass fillet (or other white fish), skinned and trimmed
Amarillo Chili Tiger's Milk
a few cilantro sprigs, leaves finely chopped
1 limo chili, seeded and finely chopped
1 sweet potato, cooked and cut into small cubes
fine sea salt
Preparation
1
Modern Spicy Ceviche
Step 1/5
First, prepare the amarillo chili paste. Heat vegetable oil in a large pan over medium heat and add chilies and onion. Lower the heat and sauté for 10 minutes. Now, add garlic and continue sautéing for 5 more minutes, until all the ingredients are soft, but they should not be allowed to brown. Put the mixture in a food processor and blend until smooth.
Step 2/5
In the next step, make the tiger's milk. Blend fresh ginger, garlic, cilantro sprigs, and lime juice and leave to rest for 5 minutes. Strain, and then season with salt and amarillo chili paste and mix well. Tiger’s milk can be kept in a refrigerator for 4 hours.
Step 3/5
Now, make the ceviche. Soak the onion in iced water for 10 minutes. Drain thoroughly, place on a paper towel, and put in the refrigerator to keep the slices crisp.
Step 4/5
Using a sharp knife, cut the fish into strips 1.2 x 0.8 inches (3x2 cm). Season with salt, mix gently, and leave for 2 minutes to open the pores. Now, pour over the tiger’s milk, mix again and let it marinate for 2 minutes.
Step 5/5
In the last step, gently stir in onion, cilantro, chili, and sweet potato with the marinated fish. Adjust the seasoning and serve immediately.
Other Variations
-
Ceviche de Conchas Negras (Peru)
Ready in 30minThe following is the typical and traditional recipe for Peru-style ceviche de conchas negras. The meat of black shells is mixed with garlic paste, rocoto hot pepper paste, ají limo pepper slices, cilantro, lime juice, red onion slices, salt, and pepper. The recipe is done in a flash, and the ceviche should be served with typical Peruvian accompaniments — in this case, choclo, a type of parboiled corn, and parboiled sweet potato.
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