Peruvian Fish Ceviche Recipe
Photo Courtesy of Picasa web
This recipe is done in the traditional Peruvian style. If you are able to get tilapia or corvina (Chilean sea bass), those work best. The traditional way to make this recipe is with raw fish, but you may also cook the fish beforehand if you prefer. Personally, I always cook the fish first.
Serves 6
Ingredients:
2 pounds of tilapia fillets, diced (you can also use other white fish fillets)
1 ½ cup of fresh lemon juice
1 fresh yellow hot pepper, seeded and chopped (if you can’t find it, use a habanero pepper)
½ cup of celery, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 large red onions, cut into long thing strips - julienne style
3 tablespoons of fresh cilantro, chopped
1 cup of lemon juice
Boiled corn, cut in 2 inch pieces
Boiled sweet potatoes, cut in slices
Lettuce leaves
Preparation:
Put the fish into a large glass bowl with the lemon juice (1 ½ cup), cover, and put in the fridge for at least 2 hours.
Drain the lemon juice from the fish and add the hot pepper, celery, garlic, onions, cilantro, salt, pepper and the rest of the lemon juice (1 cup). Put in the fridge until ready to serve.
Serve the ceviche on top of lettuce leaves. Enjoy with corn and sweet potatoes on the side!
29 comments
If you’re cooking the fish first……well then you’re not making Ceviche are you. The whole point about Ceviche is to cook it with citrus juice.
A few comments:
Never cook the fish beforehand!!! or just don´t call it ceviche. Erase de cellery and garlic from the recipe.
Change the lemon juice for lime juice
How can you call this ceviche if you cook the fish first? The whole point of ceviche is for the citrus to cook the fish without heat.
Yes, im sorry but you shouldn’t add garlic, you can leave the celery. You just have to let the lemon juice cook the fish long enough so that it’s not raw anymore, but sort of like a “lemon boiled”. If you cook it then its more of some kind of citrus sushi.
The great thing about recipes is that you make them your own, personally I prefer the raw fish variety, but if you cook the fish first, although strange, it is yours to share. Never mind the recipe Nazis who tell you how to present your dish!
It wouldn’t be Peruvian ceviche if you make it with raw fish. That would make it from Mexico or Ecuador…but NOT Peru.
Glad to hear everyone’s comments. Thanks, Frank! Since I’m from Ecuador, I would never make ceviche using raw anything. We don’t make it like that.
But, I respect other country’s methods for preparing ceviche. Unlike some other posters on here.
Regardless, enjoy! Use raw or cooked fish, whatever suits your fancy.
If you make it with the raw fish how long does it take for the lime or lemon juice to ” cook ” the fish?
I am amazed at the arguing on here. Just get the info and appreciate it. I am eating Ceviche twice a day here in Panama at the moment. Although when I get home I will try making the raw fish variety, if people are turned off by the thought that it may be gross or uncooked, do it YOUR way. Call it what you want, live, enjoy, share, celebrate! I too would wonder how long it takes to cook in the lemon/lime brine…….
@Admin,
Have you lost it!!!??? I am not trying to pile on here but I lived in Ecuador for three years and “ABSOLUTELY” it is cooked with raw fish anywhere I have ate it…and trust me…I ate alot!!! LMAO!!!
Perhaps you were just not keen to the fact that it is made using raw fish and the “CITRUS” is what cooks the fish. It is not “cooked-cooked” in advance. No way.
why should i leave out the garlic? i leave out the celery tho, the celery doesnt do much for the dish.
Agreed. Thanks, Chris!
Ok. You lived there for three years? I’m from there. Thanks for telling me how we make Ceviche in my country.
How can you tell when the fish is “cooked”? At what point do you realize that the fish is safe to eat? Has anyone tried adding orange Juice? I noticed a few other recipe sites toting the idea.
Although there are so many different ways of making ceviche, “The Peruvian Fish Ceviche” Traditional way is not pre cooked but raw. You should change the title of your recipe to Ecuadorian ceviche then if you want to cook the fish first, don’t mix both.
How long in advance (before eating) should Ceviche be prepared? Hours? Days? Thanks!
Hey guys, respect the person and the recipe. Evaluate the ingredients and the procedure add or discard whatever you think is not matching and voila!! you got your personal (Brand name recipe) Cooking is an art and a science, is like medicine 2 + 2 is not always 4. So relax chill out and enjoy the ceviche…
Ceviche by definition is not cooked. The lime juice causes a chemical reaction that treats the fish. And while everyone is free to cook a dish however they like, you wouldn’t make spaghetti and call it ravioli. And for the record, I had Ceviche last year in Costa Rica and it was fabulous. It was not precooked, and it used lime juice.
Thanks for providing your opinion!
Yes, I will also concurr with the fact that ceviche needs to be let alone with lime/lemon juice for, what? 2 hours. The water cooking will dull the fish flavor and appearance, on the other hand lime will make the fish spark and being perfectly al “dente”, keeping proteins still good source for your body. Next time I am gonna provide my ceviche recipe. see u guys.
I have never had civeche with cooked fish but it’s a recipe not a heart transplant procedure, so I’d be happy to give it a try. I’d just wonder how well the citrus juice would flavor a cooked fish.
You’re looking for the fish to whiten so I think rule of thumb is about four hours. The taco idea sounds pretty interesting so we’ll give that a try!
We brought home fresh San Francisco Bay Halibut. Nice white firm fish without a fishy taste.
THANK’S YOU
Guys.. Peruvians don’t eat anything raw!!! Trust me. Fish meat is very very delicate & soft that can be cooked on just lime juice…, if you boiled the fish & then cook it with lime, it will destroy the fish meet..(Like eating tuna in a can) Do this test, add all dice fish on a bowl, but leave one piece out marinate the dice fish on a bowl & compare with that one left out to see how fast starts cooking… you’ll be amazed.. Try it…!. If we add anything else beside fish, like shrimp, octopus clams etc… That has to be cooked or at lease boiled for a few minutes… How long it takes to Cook on lime juice?.. Well just a few minutes. No more than 30 min. Lime juice is so strong that will overcooked the fish or it will make it hard to chew (shrink), depends what kind of fish are you using. Don’t use Tilapia… red snapper is best, Corvina is excellent, garlic for taste is ok, I personally use 1 big soup spoon of it. Please don’t add any kind of tomatoes or ketchup… remember is Peruvian Ceviche!!!
To Admin: I’m From Peru, and I have 2 sisters in law from Ecuador since 1996 they haven’t eat Ecuadorian ceviche anymore. They love Peruvian ceviche, Spicy chicken, arroz con pollo, Papa a la huancaina & Pollo a la brasa. We also taste their food, sopa de bola, sopa marinera y guatita. But anytime we go to a Restaurant, they want to go to a Peruvian one… True story!!
[...] Peruvian Fish Ceviche Recipe [Ceviche Recipe] [...]
My uncle made cevechi was I was a teenager. I make it occasionally and always think of him. It is 8AM so it should be ready this evening.
Today I will try making it with cod, and freshly squeezed lemon and lime juice. I will not cook it first. I agree that ceviche is not cooked. I will add red and green peppers when I eat the cevichi. I plan to add celery and tomatoes one time too. I like the varitey. Variety is the spice of life. Cheers! Thanks for the web site.
I make ceviche on my flats skiff while fishing. Plastic sealable box or bowl, lime or lemon juice - still working on good ratio, too much time in lime juice makes fish into fish candy - plus onion, pepper and cilantro made up ahead of time and into the cooler on the ice. Catch small snapper, filet (skinless), cut into finger sized pieces, throw into container with other ingredients, keep on ice 20-30 minutes and enjoy! Guests don’t believe how good it is. I’d like to try some other recipes.
About a month ago, I had a ceviche called “Ceviche Tradicional” at a restaraunt in Lima. This recipe is almost identical to what I ate, with a few exceptions - the corn was parched, there was no celery or garlic and the fish was cooked with lime, not lemon. All in all, this is a great, authentic Peruvian recipe. Thanks!
I;m sorry admin but I have to agree that cooked fish is not ceviche. I live in Puerto Rico and our version of it also calls for the fish to be raw and for a good amount of lime juice to ‘cure’ the fish.
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