Ceviche
Ceviche (also spelled as cebiche, seviche or cevice) is a Peruvian Dish, a form of citrus marinated raw seafood salad that originated in on the western coast of Peru. The popularity of ceviche spread around the world in the latter part of the 20th century .
The marinade used in ceviche is citrus based, with lemons and limes being the most commonly used. This being said, all citrus will work. In addition to adding flavor, the citric acid causes the proteins in the seafood to become denatured, which pickles or "cooks" the fish without heat. The result tastes more like a cooked dish and less like raw fish preparations such as Japanese sashimi. Traditional style ceviche was left up to 3 hours for marinade. Modern style ceviche usually has a very short marinating period. With the appropriate fish, it will marinate for as long as it takes to mix the ingredients, serve and carry to the table.
Peruvian Ceviche
In Peru, ceviche is composed of chunks of raw fish, with lime or lemon juice though sometimes bitter orange (naranja agria), sliced onion, minced Peruvian ají limo, and sometimes Andean rocoto. The mixture is marinated and served at room temperature, often with cancha (toasted kernels of maize), usually referred to as canchita, chunks of corn-on-the-cob, slices of cooked sweet potato and/or white potato, and yuyo (seaweed). There are many regional variations. A specialty of the traditional central coast (ie, Lima, Trujillo) is ceviche prepared from shark (tollo or toyo). Corvina (Sea Bass) or Lenguado (Sole) is also used. Many Peruvian cevicherías serve a small glass of leche de tigre or leche de pantera as an appetizer, which is a small quantity of the lime juice marinade. In its classical version, ceviche is a very simple dish: fresh sliced fish (white meat fish is better), freshly squeezed key lime juice, sliced onions, salt and chile (ají limo or rocoto).
Peruvian Ceviche in Other Countries
In Chile, ceviche is often made with fillets of halibut or Chilean sea bass, containing lime juice, grapefruit, as well as finely minced garlic and red chile peppers. Often fresh mint and cilantro are also added.
In Mexico and Central America, it is served in cocktail cups with crackers, or as a tostada topping and taco filling. Shrimp, octopus, squid, tuna, and mackerel are popular bases for Mexican ceviche. The ingredients include salt, lemon, onion, chile, avocado, coriander, and parsley. Tomatoes are often added to the preparation.
In Panama, it is prepared with lime juice, salt, scotch bonnet pepper, chopped celery, salt and sometimes coriander. Ceviche de corvina (white sea bass) is very popular and served as appetizer in most local restaurants. It is also commonly prepared with octopus and shrimp. In Cuba, ceviche is often made using mahi-mahi prepared with lime juice, salt, onion, green pepper, habanero pepper, and a touch of allspice. Squid and tuna are also popular.
In Costa Rica, preparation involves the marinated fish, lime juice, salt, ground black pepper, finely minced onions, cilantro and finely minced peppers. It is usually served in a cocktail glass with a lettuce leaf and soda crackers on the side as per Mexico. Popular condiments are tomato ketchup and tabasco. The fish is typically tilapia or corvina although mahi-mahi, shark and marlin are popular.
See also
