Peru · Starter · Medium
Ceviche
Rome's most famous pasta. Silky egg and Pecorino sauce clinging to every strand, studded with crisp guanciale. No cream, ever.
The whole recipe in 60 seconds
Ceviche, in 5 ideas
- Sushi-grade fish only. You are eating it raw. Buy from a trusted fishmonger and ask what is freshest that day.
- Keep everything cold. Cold fish, cold bowl, cold serving. Warmth is the enemy of both texture and safety here.
- Glass or ceramic bowl. Metal reacts with lime juice and gives a metallic taste. Non-reactive vessels only.
- Cut even cubes. Uneven pieces cure unevenly. Half-inch cubes mean every bite hits the same silky texture.
- Serve the moment it is ready. Ceviche waits for no one. Make it last, serve it first.
What you need
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs sushi-grade sea bass or corvina, cut in 1/2 inch cubes
- 3/4 cup fresh lime juice (about 8 limes)
- 1 red onion, thinly sliced
- 1 aji limo or habanero, minced
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup cilantro leaves, chopped
- 1 sweet potato, boiled and sliced
- 1 cup cooked corn kernels
How to make it
Directions
- Cut the fish into even 1/2 inch cubes and keep it ice cold. Everything about ceviche depends on cold, fresh fish.
- Toss the fish with the lime juice and salt in a glass or ceramic bowl. Never use metal, which reacts with the acid.
- Rest 10 to 15 minutes in the fridge, stirring once. The exterior will turn opaque while the center stays translucent and silky. Do not over-cure or it goes chalky.
- Fold in the red onion, chili, and cilantro.
- Taste the leche de tigre, the lime marinade. It should be bright, salty, and fiery. Adjust salt and chili.
- Serve immediately in chilled bowls with sweet potato slices and corn on the side.
Ten to fifteen minutes, not an hour. The lime firms the outside fast. Past 20 minutes the fish turns opaque all the way through and the texture goes from silky to chalky.