Ceviche
Ceviche (or cebiche) is the most famous dish of Peru. In its classic form, it is composed of chunks of raw fish, lime juice, chopped onion, and minced ricota chili. The mixture is marinated briefly and served at room temperature with cancha (toasted kernels of maize), chunks of corn-on-the-cob, slices of cooked sweet potoato and/or white potato, and yuyo (seaweed).
Variations
Cebiche is also prepared with cooked shellfish (shimp, mussels) (cebiche mixto) as well as cooked octopus (cebiche de pulpo).
In southern Peru (ie, Arequipa), chopped celery is customarily added to the marinade. In northern Peru and Ecuador, cebiche is also prepared with concha negra, raw black clams. (Not recommended if cholera is prevalent.)
In Cajamarca, cebiche made from a bean-like vegtable, yoyu (known as tarwí in southern Peru) is also prepared. In southern Peru, (ie, Cuzco) cebiche prepared from freshwater fish (trout and pejerréy) can also be found.
A specialty of the Peruvian coast (ie, Lima, Trujillo) is cebiche prepared from shark (tollo or toyo). In the vicinity of Huancayo, cebiche with artichokes can be found in artichoke season.
Many Peruvian cebicherías serve a small glass of leche de tigre as an appetizer. This is a small quanity of the lime juice marinade.
The recipe below for shrimp ceviche is not "authentic" but should be edible:
- 1 pound medium shrimp (16/20 per pound), peeled and cleaned
- 2 pounds meaty white fish, such as sea bass, boned, and cut into large dice
- 1 red onion, minced
- 1 piece ginger, peeled, minced
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1/4 habanero or Scotch bonnet pepper, minced (no seeds or ribs)
- 1 celery rib, minced
- Salt and black pepper
- 5 lemons, juiced
- 5 limes, juiced
- 1 bunch cilantro, chopped
- 2 ears of corn, grilled with husk on
Add lemon and lime juices and refrigerate 1 hour. Finish with cilantro and corn, check seasoning. Yield: 8 to 12 servings Prep Time: 2 hours
