In Mayu’s final edition of our Peruvian food series, we want to cover the basics of ceviche, a gastronomical treat for our artisans. Ceviche is a citrus-marinated seafood dish originating in Peru (but our Ecuadorian neighbors may think otherwise!) and epitomizing seafood fusion. You will find this dish in many Southern American countries, each location adding their own touch of individuality.

In Peru, ceviche is composed of diced fresh fish, marinated in lime or lemon juice, sliced onion, chili, salt and pepper. A specialty of our local artisans is ceviche prepared from shark! The local cevicherias serve the entree with a small glass of leche de tigre, which is a small quantity of the lime juice marinade. On the side, you can expect  slices of cold sweet-potatoes or corn-on-the-cob.

Ceviche is rather expensive due to the large amount of seafood required for an individual serving. That being said, our artisans look forward to ceviche during special occasions or celebrations. We have included a simple recipe that should be serviced with boiled sweet potatoes.

Peruvian Ceviche!
Serves 6

Ingredients:

• 1.5-2 lbs of white fish (sea bass, flounder, grouper, sole, etc).
• 1 red onion, sliced finely
• 1 chili pepper, chopped very fine
• Juice of 15 limes
• Salt and pepper

Cut fish into 1/4 inch-dice sized pieces and mix with the sliced onion. Wash and drain well. Season with salt, pepper and the chili pepper.

Toss fish preparation in lime juice and mix well. Cover and refrigerate for 3-4 hours, stirring occasionally (until the fish turns very white). Serve ceviche in martini glasses and garnish with potatoes and lime wedges.

There you have it, the culmination of our Spring food series! We hope you enjoyed learning more about Peruvian cuisine. From bread, quinoa, cheese and seafood, Mayu artisans really know their way around the cocina. We hope to have more exciting recipes and creations coming this Summer.

Bon appetit!

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This entry was posted on Thursday, March 11th, 2010 at 5:53 pm and is filed under Food, Mostly Peruvian, Peru, Stuff Mayu Loves. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.