PERUVIAN FISH CEBICHE

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 The traditional Peruvian cebiche is prepared with fresh fish, lemons, onions, hot peppers, and fresh cilantro. The cebiche, it is also correct to write ceviche or seviche, is typically prepared with fish or shellfish, the same one that is seasoned with lemon juice. The acidity of the lemon juice helps to “cook” the fish. It must be clarified that not all types of cebiches are prepared with shellfish, and not all cebiches are prepared with raw shellfish. However, the classic and traditional Peruvian fish cebiche is prepared with fresh raw fish and it is necessary to tan it in lemon juice. For this reason, it is very important to use fresh, high-quality fish to prepare ceviche. I have prepared this recipe for Peruvian cebiche with halibut, in the US it is the most similar to sea bass that can be found, dorado (called mahi mahi in the US), escolar, hamachi, and sea bass.

  



 Peruvian fish cebiche 

Peruvian fish cebiche recipe prepared with fresh fish, lemon, onions, chili peppers, and coriander. The fish cebiche is served with corn, and sweet potato.

Ingredients 

  • 1 ½ pound of fresh fish fillets and of the best quality corvina, dorado, escolar, halibut 
  • 1 red onion cut into very thin slices 
  • 1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice about 
  • 10-15 lemons (or 35-40 key limes or 8-10 large green lemons in the US) 
  • 1-2 yellow or habanero peppers, halved, seeded and deveined 
  • 2-3 sprigs of fresh coriander 
  • Salt to taste 
  • finely chopped coriander to taste

Garnishes to accompany the cebiche:

  • Lettuce leaves 
  • Field corn or toasted corn 
  • Parboiled or boiled corn or corn 
  • Sweet Potato: In the form of chifles or in thick parboiled slices 
  • Green plantain chips Aji minced or sliced ​​– optional and to taste 
  • Olive oil to taste *optional

Preparation

  1. Cut the fish into small cubes and place them in a glass container. Cover the fish pieces with very cold water and 1 tablespoon of salt, cover and refrigerate while you prepare the onion and juice from the lemons.
  2. Rub the onion slices with 1/2 tablespoon of salt and rinse under cold water. 
  3. Rinse the fish to remove the salt. 
  4. Put the fish cubes, half of the onion slices, the coriander sprigs, and the chili peppers in a glass container and pour the lemon juice over the ingredients. 
  5. Sprinkle with a little salt. To minimize the acidity of the lemon you can add a few ice cubes to the mix. 
  6. Cover and refrigerate for about 5-15 minutes or until the fish starts to turn white. In case of using subtle lemon, the fish will tan faster. 
  7. Remove the cilantro sprigs and chili peppers from the cebiche mixture. Taste the fish ceviche and correct the salt if necessary. 
  8. To serve, place the cebiche in each container, whether it is a plate or a bowl, add a little of the onion slices, the chopped cilantro, and aji picadito to taste. 
  9. Serve immediately with your choice of garnishes.

Notes 

  • Soaking the fish in cold water and salt helps the fish maintain a firm texture. 
  • Rinsing the onion with salt and cold water helps to get rid of that bitter taste. 
  • Adding ice cubes to the cebiche mixture helps neutralize the acidity of the lemons - this is especially true for the subtle lemon, but less necessary for the Mexican lemons found in the US.

The type of lemon used for the ceviche is also very important. In both Ecuador and Peru there is a variety of lemon known as limón sutil, it is a little smaller than the Mexican lemons found in the US and a little larger than what is called a key lime in English. This type of lemon has a higher acidity level than lemons found in the US and is capable of curing fish much faster. The subtle lemon flavor is more similar to key lime than Mexican lemons.

Peruvian cebiche usually includes some type of chili or chili pepper, one of the most popular is called ají amarillo. This chili pepper can be found frozen or canned in Latino stores in the US. Another variety of chili that is used in Peruvian cuisine is the ají limo, which is very similar (or almost the same) to the habanero. Personally I love hot and fresh, so I used habaneros for this recipe, but depending on your taste you can use ají amarillo or another less spicy variety if you prefer. In addition, for this cebiche recipe, the veins and seeds of the chili pepper (which is the spicy part) are removed, the chili pepper is used only to infuse its flavor into the fish while it is tanned in lemon juice. You take it off after the cebiche is ready, and if you like you can chop it and serve it with the cebiche so that everyone can add minced chili to their liking.

The Peruvian cebiche is accompanied with lettuce leaves, parboiled corn or corn, toasted cancha corn, and sweet potato or sweet potato. The sweet potato is boiled and served sliced, it can also be served as chifles or sweet potato chips, they have the same sweet flavor, but their crunchy texture combines better with ceviche. According to your taste, you can serve it with the garnishes of your choice. I also like to serve the Peruvian cebiche with green plantain chifles. 



As always, I hope this post has been helpful and you have increased your cooking knowledge. If you are interested in learning more about the subject, I invite you to see the other posts we have on the subject, surely you will find one that interests you. and let me know which recipe you would like to know.

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