Peruvian Ceviche
Peruvian Ceviche
Notes
To cut down on time, you can cook both the sweet potato and corn in the microwave. For the corn, place it in a plastic freezer bag type. Do no close but leave part of it open. Cook for 3-4 minutes. For the sweet potatoes pinch them with a fork, and place them in the microwave for about 4 minutes, depending on the size of the sweet potato.
Salt is always to taste. Start with about 1 tsp.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs. (pounds) of fish: red snapper, corvina, sole, sea bass or other = 700 grs.
- 1 lb. key limes or other acid lemon or lime
- 1/2 to 1 tablespoon "aji amarillo" yellow chili pepper paste (optional, but recommended)
- 1 fresh aji amarillo or 3-4 small habanero peppers
- 1 red onion
- cilantro, about 10 branches
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 sweet potatoes
- 2 corns
Instructions
- Cut the onion "julienne" style, that is short thin slices, as in the picture. Place in a container with cold water for 15 minutes. To make the water colder, you may add a couple of ice cubes. Change the water in the container for fresh water, and let it sit for another 15 minutes. Use a colander to strain the onion slices until most of the water is gone. You may pat dry it as well with a paper towel.
- Dice the fresh aji amarillo pepper or habaneros into small pieces.
- Cut the fish into squares or cubes.
- Separate the cilantro leaves from the stems. Dice.
- Boil the sweet potatoes in water, pinching them first with a fork. You may add a little bit of sugar to the water. Boil the corn-on-the cob as well on a separate pot.
- Place the fish on a ceramic, glass or pyrex container. Do not place it in a plastic container. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.
- Add most of the lemon or lime juice to the fish, then add the onion and fresh chili pepper, which have been previously cut as mentioned above. Add the remaining lemon juice and the cilantro. Lemon should almost cover the fish. Stir once. Let rest for 5-10 minutes.
- Prepare the plate with iceberg or romaine lettuce leaves, serve the ceviche, add the corn and thick slices of sweet potato. Enjoy!
- Recipe: "Cooking with Veronica": www.cookingwithveronica.com.
Most historians agree that ceviche, cebiche or seviche was originated in Peru. The Moche Culture, also known as Mochica, lived in the Northern Coast of Peru between 100-700 AD. They prepared ceviche with fresh fish and fruits, the earlier version of today’s Peruvian ceviche, as evidenced by archeological sites.
Centuries later in the 1500s Spanish Conquistadores would arrive to Peru. Spain had been under the rule of the Moors, from Northern Africa, for 700 years. It is believed that Moorish people, who arrived along with the Spanish to Peru, brought lemons, which replaced the other fruit used for ceviche.
Ceviche has a few key ingredients: fresh fish, lemon or lime, aji pronounced “ahee” which is a chili pepper with many different types, red onions, salt and pepper.
In Peru, lemon is used for ceviche. Peruvian lemons are small and very acid, very similar to key limes. Key limes made its way from Asia to Africa, and from Africa they were brought to Spain. It was the Spanish that brought key limes to Florida. For ceviche we use “aji mirasol” a sundried version of “aji panca” or “aji amarillo” (yellow hot chili). An aji amarillo paste is available at some Latin markets, at some regular supermarkets and online. Otherwise, you can use habaneros if not available in your area.
The fish can be any fish you like, most commonly corvina, sole, sea bass and red snapper are used for ceviche. The ceviche I just prepared and that you can see in the picture was made with queen snapper. (You can also add seafood such as in ceviche “mixto” or mixed ceviche.) The acidity of the lemons or limes on the marinade “cooks” the ceviche, but note that in reality it is not cooked, it is still raw fish. Therefore, the importance of using fresh fish or seafood.
Peruvian ceviche is served on top of lettuce leaves with sides of thick slices of sweet potatoes, and corn-on-the-cob cut in pieces. The “leche de tigre” (tigers mild) is the white juice mix of the fish juice, lemon and onions. It is sometimes served separately.
The National Day of Ceviche is celebrated every year in Peru on June 28th.
