Delicious Homemade Ceviche! It's easy!
- Jul 14, 2022
- 4 min read
You may or may not be familiar with ceviche depending where you live and travel. Many people are scared to eat ceviche because it is not cooked with heat but do not fear! As long as you have FRESH ingredients, it should be fine (you know your body better than me, if you have sensitivities or allergies to certain foods you'll need to use your best judgement.)
I am personally considering going to a fully "raw" diet so ceviche is right up my alley. If you like sushi or carpaccio and haven't tried ceviche this could be just the thing for you!
The most important aspect of the ceviche is having FRESH fish. This does not include going to the local grocery store and buying what is in their selection at the meat counter. This means living near the ocean, lake, or river and catching your own white fish of any variety or going to a fresh fish market and purchasing something caught that same day. It must be fresh- never frozen.
Okay, now that we've sorted that out, let's move on. From there it's easy peezy.
Fresh ingredients you'll need
Filleted white fish- How much depends on how many people you are planning to serve, choose the number of fillets based on what you've caught or how you would choose if you were preparing it how you normally do. I would say probably 1-2 fillets per person as the main course and if it will be used as an appetizer then surely no more than 2-4 fillets will be necessary. You will choose the type of fish in this same manner. I prefer grouper but whichever white variety is the FRESHEST is the one you should choose. Do NOT use frozen fish.
Lemons or Limes- I recommend having at least 7 and the more fish you have the more you will need. Too many is better than too few.
Onion- 1 Red or white depending on your preference
Cilantro- 1 bunch
Salt and pepper- 1 tsp each spread throughout then to taste upon completion
Optional ingredients depending upon the country's style of ceviche that you prefer:
Mexican- add tomato and/or your choice hot peppers to taste
Peruvian- add cooked/sliced sweet potatoes and corn on the cob (choclo) to taste
Tortilla chips
There are other styles as well these are my favorites. I love tomatoes so I always add those since they are easy.
Preparation
You'll need a cutting board, a good knife, a fairly large bowl, and a manual juicer if you have one.
Start with the fish. Make sure all bones have been removed then cut the fish into bite size pieces or about 1 inch chunks. You will want to be thorough about cutting the fish into small pieces, no slacking. Place the pieces into the bowl as you go.
Once all of the fish has been cut and placed in the bowl, wash your cutting board and knife then start cutting your lemons/limes. If you are using a manual juicer, you will want to cut them in half otherwise I recommend cutting into thirds. Remove all seeds if possible. You will use as many lemons/limes as it takes to have all of the fish being touched by juice. They do not have to be submerged like a soup but almost.
Add 1 tsp of each salt and pepper, stir.
The cooking process has now began.
Now, you will began cutting your onion and cilantro, adding to the bowl as you finish dicing them.
Tomato, hot peppers, or any other ingredients should be added last. Beware of adding too much hot peppers. I have found that as it sits, the heat of the peppers will continue to increase. I prefer to add mine in by the serving bowl rather than in the entire dish.
By the time you have cut up your onion, cilantro, and other ingredients, washed up your cutting board and cleaned off the counter, it will probably have been about 20 minutes. You should notice that the fish is turning from an opaque clear color to white, this is how you know it is ready!
Serve with tortilla chips!
Note: this is a fresh dish that should be eaten right away. If you care to wait a little longer around 30 minutes, you may, but if the color has changed then you know it is ready. You can refrigerate the ceviche and it will last several hours but the lemon and lime juices will continue to cook the fish so waiting too long may allow the fish to get tough. It is cut into bite size pieces so a little toughness is not the end of the world but this is a dish meant to be enjoyed as fresh as possible!
Enjoy! Buen provecho! Bon appetit!
Let me know how you like it in the comments section!
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