Do you know how to eat ceviche? What is the proper way to cook it? What is ceviche anyway? Ceviche is a seafood dish that originated from Peru. It is made from fresh raw fish that is cured in lime or lemon juice. It is also spiced with chili peppers and other seasonings; coriander, chopped onions, salt are some of the common ways to season ceviche. Ceviche is also called cebiche, sebiche or seviche.
Ceviche is not cooked with heat; instead, it is eaten raw. It is marinated in a mixture of citrus fruits; limes and lemons are commonly used. The protein in the fish gets denatured by the citric acid from the fruits; it also adds flavor to the fish. Different countries have different methods of cooking ceviche. Peruvian ceviche contains raw fish (marinated in lime or lemon for a few hours), chili pepper, chopped onions, salt and pepper. Some side dishes added to ceviche are sweet potatoes and corn-on-a-cob.
In Chile, ceviche is made with Patagonian tooth fish or halibut fillets which is marinated in grapefruit and lime juice, red chili peppers, and garlic. In other countries like Ecuador, shrimp ceviche is made with tomato sauce. It is also made with different types of shellfish; clam, barnacle, spondylus and oysters.
HOW TO MAKE CEVICHE RECIPE
The ceviche recipe with fish
Ingredients:
- Thinly sliced red onions
- Minced garlic cloves (2-3 should be enough)
- 2 teaspoons of kosher salt (you won’t use all, it depends on your taste)
- Fresh fish of your choice
- Chopped fresh cilantro
- Freshly squeezed lime juice (have about half a cup ready)
- Black pepper
- Chopped chili pepper
- Diced tomatoes
- Olive oil
- Diced cucumber
Process:
Step 1: salt the onions and leave it for about 15 minutes until its liquid is completely released. Rinse the onions and squeeze it to dry
Step 2: put the garlic, salt, fish, black pepper, chili pepper, onions and the lime juice inside serving bowl and mix gently.
Step 3: place the bowl in a refrigerator and leave the ingredients to marinate for about 30 minutes. The longer you leave the fish to marinate, the more cooked it becomes.
Step 4: serve the dish. When you’re about to serve, mix the chopped cilantro, the diced tomatoes and the diced cucumber together and add olive oil. Serve the fish with this mixture. You can garnish your dish with avocado if you want to.
You can taste for salt and pepper and season to your taste. Also, you can use any fresh fish of your choice to make ceviche. Some types of fish you can use are: grouper, sole, sea bass, flounder, bream, polack or halibut. It is not advisable to use oily fish for your dish.
How to make shrimp ceviche: Mexican style
Ingredients:
- Raw deveined shrimp
- Diced cucumber
- Diced tomatoes
- Thinly sliced red onions
- Finely chopped cilantro
- Diced jalapeño
- Fresh lime juice
- Fresh lemon juice
- Salt
- Pepper
- Worcestershire sauce
- Hot sauce of your choice
- Tostadas
- Avocado
Process:
Step 1: mix the lime and lemon juice with the shrimps in a large bowl.
Step 2: cover the bowl; keep it in the fridge until the shrimps turn pink.
Step 3: while the shrimp is being denatured, mix the chopped cucumber, onions, cilantro, tomatoes and the jalapeño in another bowl
Step 4: add the pink shrimps to the other mixed ingredients; mix them all together.
Step 5: put the Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper. Also add lime and lemon juice to the bowl
Step 6: mix everything together and serve the cerviche on tostadas. Add hot sauce to your taste and slices of avocado.
DISHES TO SERVE WITH CEVICHE
There are quite a number of dishes to serve with ceviche. To know how to eat ceviche, here are side dishes you can add to your ceviche meal; some of these side dishes are also from the sea.
1. Cucumber salad:
Ceviche is a fresh meal so any dish that accompanies it has to be fresh as well. A cucumber salad that has been seasoned with salt and pepper and mixed with lime juice is a fresh addition to your ceviche meal. You can garnish your cucumber salad with anything; onions (marinated in vinegar-sugar mixture), olives, dills, fresh mint leaves.
2. Shrimp broth:
Hot shrimp broth made from dried shrimps, shrimp heads and shells, vegetables and chili pepper is a good addition to your ceviche dish. Ceviche is normally served cold so the hot broth is a good combination and it helps balance your meal.
3. Rice cakes:
Balance matters a lot when serving dishes. Rice cakes are crunchy compared to your watery ceviche dish. The two would blend perfectly together with the difference in texture.
4. Lettuce leaves:
Lettuce leaves serve as a wrap for ceviche. Just like tostadas and rice cakes, you can enjoy your seafood with lettuce leaves and have a wonderful dinner experience.
5. Mango salad:
Ceviche contains acid because of the lime and lemon juice. To take off that acidic bite when you eat ceviche, you can balance it with a sweet side dish. Mango salad is the perfect sweet dish that would help compliment the sour taste of the fish.
6. White rice:
What meal is balanced without carbohydrates? None. Ceviche is mostly eaten as an appetizer but if you want to enjoy it as a main dish you can include rice in your meal. Rice would balance your diet and still satisfy you.
7. Oysters:
Ceviche is seafood so pairing it with other seafood gives it an entirely new flavor that you would not want to miss out on. You can add a variety of seafood to your ceviche dish and enjoy a wonderful oceanic experience.
CONCLUSION
Ceviche is one of the most popular Peruvian dishes. Most South Americans enjoy this meal: ceviche is well known in Chile, Ecuador, Colombia and Mexico. To know how to eat ceviche, you must know how to make it as well. Ceviche is made up of raw fish that is marinated in lime or lemon juice and seasoned with salt, pepper and other condiments. The ingredients, process and cooking methods of making different types of ceviche dish are similar. Ensure to use very fresh fish to make your dish to avoid food borne diseases.
