We first had ceviche at a restaurant in Florida and have been rather obsessed with recreating the experience at home ever since! Somewhere between raw and poached, ceviche is prepared by "cooking" seafood in citrus juice or other acid...without the application of heat.
Exactly how does this work? Read on...
Ceviche-type dishes originated in the northern part of South America and have been a part of the cuisine from that region for centuries. Also called "cebiche" or "seviche," only recently has this style of preparation started gaining in popularity in the US.
To make ceviche, cubes or very thin slices of raw fish are marinated in citrus juice. The citrus interacts with the proteins in the fish, causing it to become opaque and firm. This gives the fish the appearance and texture of being cooked, though the actual texture is much more delicate than if the fish had been cooked with heat.
The citrus is traditionally lemon or lime, but any kind of citrus or acidic juice can be used. Lean white fish is also typical, though we've seen recipes with scallops, salmon, and even shrimp. It can be served unadorned with a fork or spoon, or you can scoop it into tortillas for a kind of fish taco.
A brief 15 minute dunk in citrus juice will affect just the surface of the fish, giving you a 'rare' preparation. For the citrus to work its way fully into the fish, it will need to marinate for upwards of an hour or more depending on the thickness of the fish.
A note on food safety: since the fish is never heated, be sure to buy the freshest seafood from a dependable source when you make ceviche at home.
Ceviche recipes from around the web:
• Ceviche with Red Snapper from Simply Recipes
• Mahi Mahi Ceviche with Jalapenos and Coconut from Epicurious
• Shrimp and Scallop Ceviche from Epicurious
What's your take on ceviche?
Related: What Restaurant Meals Have You Recreated at Home?
(Image: Flickr member Foodistablog licensed under Creative Commons)
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In Ecuador, shrimp ceviche is the most popular, followed by "ceviche de concha", which is a kind of black clam. Some years ago while we were there, we had some conch ceviche which was astoundingly good. It is served with toasted corn, or sometimes popcorn.
The ceviche in Ecuador is amazing and often has a tomato/citrus base to it. Additioanally, it is used by many as a hang-over cure.
It may be because I live close to LA but ceviche has been popular here as long as I have been alive (20 years). It always has shrimp, sometimes with any combination of white fish, scallops, octupus, squid, lobster, and various other shell fish. When I usually have it, it comes in a citrusy tomato broth here with some kind of onion too. I have always seen it with a ton of avocado- at least half if not a whole one. It's good, but it freaks me out if I think too much about how it's not "cooked" in the traditional sense.
We call this "raw fish salad" here in New Zealand. It's more of a Pacific island thing here so not sure if the Pacific peoples had their own version or if South American cuisine affected the islands in the Pacific too.
We often add a little coconut cream to the mix too.
Frozen seafood may actually be a better/safer bet than fresh, as certain freezing temperatures kill off harmful bacteria and parasites. Unless you live right on the coast I would generally avoid "fresh" seafood.