This is a traditional Peruvian dish. Traditional ceviche was marinated for 2 – 3 hours, but now it is more like 2 – 3 minutes. You must use very fresh fish, as the acid does not actually cook the fish the way heat does. Some traditional recipes use lime juice or bitter orange juice.
PERU
Peruvian Ceviche
(serves 4 as a starter)
1 lb of fish – sea bass, snapper.
1 red pepper, finely chopped
½ a red onion, finely sliced
juice of 3 lemons
2 fresh chilies - deseeded and finely chopped
1 tbsp of fresh mint leaves
1 tbsp of fresh coriander leaves
½ cup of watercress
1 tsp of kosher sea salt
extra virgin olive oil & black peppercorns* for finishing.
Cut your fish filets into 1 cm cubes and put these in a bowl with your chopped pepper and onion – cover and place in the fridge. Mix together the lemon juice, salt and chilies and place in the fridge. Wash and dry your herbs and mix them together. Right before you are ready to serve pour the lemon mixture over the fish and blend it together. Let it sit for about 3 minutes and then add the herbs and toss everything together and serve. Finish with some good extra virgin olive oil and top with freshly ground black pepper.
*Black Peppercorns
These peppercorns are known in India as the King of Spices. Black pepper is produced from the green unripe berries of the pepper plant. The berries are cooked briefly in hot water, both to clean them and to prepare them for drying. The berries are dried in the sun or by machine for several days, during which time the fruit around the seed shrinks and darkens into a thin, wrinkled black layer around the seed. Once dried, the fruits are called black peppercorns. Try it on strawberries!
