Classic Peruvian ceviche: fresh fish marinated in lime with red onion, ají and leche de tigre

Ceviche is so important to Peru that it has a national day, June 28, and was recognized by Unesco as intangible cultural heritage. The peoples of the coast were already curing fish with the juice of acidic fruits and chili long before the lime existed, which arrived with the Spanish and became the base of the marinade.

The modern version, from Lima, is quick: the fish stays in the lime for just a few minutes, only long enough for the surface to turn opaque while the center stays tender. The liquid left at the bottom of the plate, the leche de tigre, is so prized that it is drunk from a small glass as a hangover cure.

The only secret is the quality of the fish. Buy it fresh that day, with firm white flesh, and keep everything chilled from start to finish. The rest is cutting, seasoning and serving right away.

Recipe card

• Origin: Coast of Peru, Lima
• Category: Starter or main course, marinated raw fish
• Difficulty: Easy, requires very fresh fish
• Preparation time: 30 minutes
• Cooking time: does not go on the stove (only the sides)
• Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

• 600 g very fresh firm white fish fillet (sole, sea bass, corvina or hake)
• 1 large red onion, very thinly sliced
• 12 limes, juiced just before use
• 1 ají amarillo pepper (or 1 seeded red chili) chopped
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1 small piece of ginger, grated (optional)
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
• 1 teaspoon salt
• White pepper to taste
• Crushed ice
• 2 cooked sweet potatoes in rounds
• 1 cooked ear of corn in rounds or 1 cup cooked large-kernel corn
• Lettuce leaves to line the plate

Method

1. Soak the sliced onion in iced water for 10 minutes to remove the bite, drain and dry.
2. Cut the fish into 2 cm cubes with a very sharp knife and place in a glass or stainless bowl set over another bowl of ice.
3. Season the fish with salt, white pepper, the garlic and the ginger and mix gently.
4. Add half of the ají pepper and pour in the lime juice until it almost covers the fish.
5. Stir and let marinate for 5 to 10 minutes, until the surface of the cubes turns white and opaque.
6. Add the onion, cilantro and the rest of the pepper and mix.
7. Taste the leche de tigre that has formed at the bottom and adjust the salt.
8. Serve immediately on lettuce leaves, with the sweet potato rounds and the corn alongside, drizzling with the marinade.

Tips and variations

• Squeeze the lime only halfway, without pressing the peel, so the juice does not turn bitter.
• Commercially frozen fish works, as long as it is thawed in the fridge and patted very dry.
• Ceviche mixto adds shrimp and squid blanched for 30 seconds beforehand.
• For a creamier leche de tigre, blend a piece of the fish with some of the juice, cilantro and an ice cube and return it to the bowl.
• Do not marinate for more than 15 minutes: the lime keeps cooking the fish and it turns rubbery.
• Cancha, the Peruvian toasted corn, adds crunch on top.
• Serve with an ice-cold beer or a pisco sour.

A good ceviche is measured by the silence at the table: acidity, chili, cold fish and the sweetness of the sweet potato, all in the same bite. Make it with the best fish you can find and serve it the next minute.