Ceviche – what is it, recipes

The content of the article

• What is ceviche
• How to cook ceviche
• Ceviche Recipe
• Salmon ceviche
• From salmon
• With shrimps
• Dorado Recipe
• How to serve
• Cooking secrets

The national dishes of Latin America are an amazing, sometimes explosive mixture of traditions, gastronomic finds and recipes, which has been around for several centuries. These include ceviche – a cold appetizer of fish, shellfish, crustaceans, served with corn or sweet potato. Ceviche harmoniously combines the aroma of fresh seafood and the light sourness of citrus marinade. Its main advantages are simplicity and speed of preparation, unique taste, the ability to show imagination when choosing ingredients and dressing.

What is ceviche

The birthplace of Ceviche is considered the legendary Inca Republic – the coastal part of Peru. The original dish is made from fresh raw fish, lime juice, cilantro, onion and chili, but different variations of the recipe can be found in Mexico, Colombia and other Latin American states. Seafood slices are not fried, but marinated, which allows you to maintain a delicate, delicate taste and eliminates the risk of making a “rubber” snack. They are laid out on a plate with marinade and chopped vegetables or served on tortillas – small crispy cornmeal cakes.

How to cook ceviche

Cooking ceviche begins with a marinade, which gives piquancy to raw seafood. Lemon and lime juice is mixed with salt, pepper. Fillet is cut into small identical cubes or thin slices, poured with juice and allowed to marinate. Chives, onions, and herbs are chopped, seasoned, and formed into a slide on a serving platter. Pieces of fish are spread on top, after pickling they will slightly change color and become lighter. They can be mixed with vegetables or left with a uniform top layer for a more festive, elegant serving, watering with the remaining juice.

Ceviche Recipe

The classic recipe does not require special skills and a lot of time – fish in lime juice is pickled for only 15 minutes, so you can experiment with ingredients and marinade. Guests accustomed to the traditional variation of snacks will be pleasantly surprised by shrimp, shrimp, perch, mussels, trout, squid, scallops, and dorado. As a “pillow” for seafood use sweet potatoes, corn, green apples, avocados, citrus fruits, onions, almost any fruit and vegetables. Dressing is supplemented with olive oil with garlic, a mixture of cream with horseradish, tomato paste, ketchup.

Salmon ceviche

• Time: 1 hour 45 minutes.
• Servings Per Container: 2 Persons.
• Calorie dishes: 330 kcal per 100 g.
• Purpose: appetizer.
• Cuisine: Peruvian.
• Difficulty: medium.

The secret of the aromatic, salmon-melting ceviche in the mouth is in the sweet and sour citrus-based marinade. It is advisable to use the most juicy, ripe fruits – they contribute to protein denaturation, but do not give bitterness. The dish is not designed for storage in the refrigerator, so it is prepared immediately before serving, taking into account the time it takes to marinate. Chives or chives can be replaced with red. Onions or red onions are recommended to be pre-marinated in water with sugar and vinegar to eliminate crunch and make the taste delicate.

Ingredients:

• salmon fillet – 175 g;
• avocado – 0.5 pcs.;
• lime – 0.5 pcs.;
• lemon – 0.5 pcs.;
• orange – 1 pc.;
• chives – 2 feathers;
• honey – 1 tsp;
• ground red pepper – 2 g;
• mayonnaise – 2 tbsp. l .;
• salt – a pinch.

Cooking method:

1. Wash the orange, lemon and lime, cut in half. Squeeze juice.
2. Cut the fillet into cubes, transfer to a deep bowl. Salt.
3. Pour the fish with freshly squeezed citrus juice, put in the refrigerator for 45 minutes.
4. Cut avocado into thin slices, add chopped chives.
5. Remove the fillet from the refrigerator, drain the liquid into a saucepan..
6. Introduce pepper, honey and mayonnaise into the marinade. Beat with a whisk or fork until foam.
7. Combine fish with onions, avocado.
8. Add ceviche sauce to the table.

From salmon

• Time: 30 minutes.
• Servings Per Container: 4 Persons.
• Calorie content: 120 kcal per 100 g.
• Purpose: appetizer.
• Cuisine: Peruvian.
• Difficulty: Easy.

A quick recipe for salmon ceviche is the best solution for the “guests on the doorstep” situation and a non-banal alternative to cold cuts, salads, sandwiches. A combination of Norwegian delicacy, hot chili pepper, lime and fleshy, sweet tomato gives an exotic touch. Salmon is used fresh, not light-salted. The fillet is cut into slices about 0.5 cm thick – so the fish is quickly marinated, it will not be too salty and will allow you to feel all the facets of the taste of Atlantic or lake salmon.

Ingredients:

• salmon – 200 g;
• rye bread – 100 g;
• olive oil – 30 ml;
• chili pepper – 1 pc.;
• Bulgarian pepper – 1 pc.;
• lime – 1 pc.;
• tomato – 1 pc.;
• shallots – 1 pc.;
• parsley – a bunch;
• salt – a pinch.

Cooking method:

1. Cut the salmon into thin slices. Salt.
2. Wash lime, squeeze juice.
3. Shallot, peeled chili seeds, chop parsley. Add juice, olive oil.
4. Mix fish with marinade, put in the cold for a few minutes.
5. Cut bell pepper into strips, tomatoes into slices.
6. Dry the bread in the oven or in a pan with non-stick coating.
7. Put fish on vegetables with marinade dressing, serve with crispy slices of rye bread.

With shrimps

• Time: 6 hours.
• Servings Per Container: 6 Persons.
• Calorie content: 80 kcal per 100 g.
• Purpose: appetizer.
• Cuisine: Ecuadorian.
• Difficulty: medium.

In the process of preparing ceviche with shrimp, “tiger milk” is released – seafood juice mixed with lime and lemon juice. This option is offered in Ecuador, served in small bowls or tall glass glasses, served with fried bananas. Onions should be soft, not sharp, therefore pickled separately. It can be cut into half rings, but preferably with feathers. Sweet and sour sauce should cover the finished dish completely so that the shrimps are marinated evenly. Ketchup can be replaced with tomato paste diluted with water.

Ingredients:

• tiger prawns – 1 kg;
• chili pepper – 2 pcs.;
• lime – 2 pcs.;
• oranges – 6 pcs.;
• lemon – 0.5 pcs.;
• ketchup – 200 g;
• onion – 3 pcs.;
• salt – 3 tbsp. l .;
• sugar – 1 tsp;
• vegetable oil – 2 tbsp. l .;
• cilantro – 2 bunches.

Cooking method:

1. Chop onion, season with a tablespoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice.
2. Add sugar, leave for half an hour.
3. Clean tiger prawns, preserving the shells. Pour into a pot of boiling water, bring to a boil. When the seafood turns red, remove from the stove. Drain the water into a separate bowl..
4. Fold the shrimp in a colander, pour over cold water. Clear of shell, black vein.
5. Pour the shells with shrimp water, boil for 5 minutes. Strain the liquid – it will become the basis of the sauce. Add lime and orange juice, pepper, ketchup, oil, salt.
6. Shrimp mix with onion, chopped cilantro sauce.
7. Put in the refrigerator for several hours. Serve with dressing.

Dorado Recipe

• Time: 20 minutes.
• Servings Per Container: 2 Persons.
• Calorie content: 180 kcal per 100 g.
• Purpose: appetizer.
• Cuisine: Peruvian.
• Difficulty: Easy.

A dish of ceviche with a golden spar or dorado is prepared in literally 20 minutes. If desired, coriander, caraway seeds, fennel, thyme, and other spices can be added to the marinade. The yolks and vegetable oil need to be pre-cooled – so the sauce does not stratify, it acquires a uniform texture, glossy shine. Spread the ingredients preferably in layers, without mixing. Ceviche is a snack in which the presence of seeds is unacceptable. When preparing the fillet, it is necessary to remove the scales, the insides of the fish. Begin work with a neat longitudinal section from the upper fin.

Ingredients:

• dorado fillet – 500 g;
• eggs – 4 pcs.;
• orange juice – 250 ml;
• grapefruit juice – 250 ml;
• lemon juice – 1 tbsp. l .;
• cherry tomatoes – 50 g;
• avocado – 1 pc.;
• cucumber – 1 pc.;
• vegetable oil – 150 ml;
• olive oil – 20 ml;
• dill – 30 g;
• cilantro – 30 g;
• ginger – to taste;
• chili pepper – 1 pc.;
• salt – a pinch.

Cooking method:

1. Cut dorado fillet into small pieces.
2. Ginger peel, grate.
3. Grind cilantro.
4. Mix the juice of orange and grapefruit. Add chili, ginger, olive oil, salt.
5. Season the fish with marinade, put in the refrigerator for 10 minutes.
6. Separate the yolks from the proteins. In a submersible blender, combine the cooled yolks, vegetable oil, dill.
7. Randomly chop the cherry, avocado, peeled cucumber. Season with lemon juice.
8. Put vegetables, fish, greens on a serving dish. Pour egg sauce.

How to serve

A competent modern presentation is no less important than the taste, color and aroma of the finished dish. It is better to spend the extra 5-10 minutes of the presentation than to treat loved ones with something mundane, boring, unappetizing. Of great importance is the plate. Soup deep bowls should be discarded – the appetizer will “drown” in such a bowl and will look like a salad. Dressing can be served separately in a saucepan, but draining the whole marinade is not recommended, otherwise the seafood will come out dry.

Creative or classic decoration of the ceviche is appropriate both at dinner in a close family circle, and at a festive event:

1. Ceviche is traditionally served on flat dishes for cold appetizers or pasta plates – “hats” with wide brim. Small portions can be offered to guests as an aperitif, presenting in creamers, glasses.
2. A dish decorated with a cooking ring looks elegant. It is placed in the center of a serving plate, seafood is laid out inside, trying not to pin down delicate pieces. Tamping the seasoned snack lightly, gently remove the ring so as not to damage the delicate snack.
3. An interesting and convenient solution for a buffet reception – ceviche in wide glass glasses without a picture. In this case, vegetables, fish, marinade should be laid out in layers to emphasize the combination of soft pink fillet, snow-white onions, herbs and red chili peppers.
4. If you already know about ceviche – what it is, you need to remember how to serve it. Fresh, well-washed greens contrast effectively with pickled red fish. Ideal for decorating a festive dish – a sprig of tarragon, cilantro, dill, microgreen.
5. A win-win supplement for fish ceviche is citrus fruits. Slices of orange or grapefruit are pre-milled, removing membranes and bones with a sharp knife. They are cut into cubes or served whole.

Cooking secrets

There are many secrets to cooking one of the most popular dishes of Latin American cuisine, but the main thing was and remains the mandatory observance of three conditions – fresh fish, good marinade, high-quality slices. Only in this case, the appetizer will acquire the desired texture, uniformity, color. Simple recommendations, techniques and culinary tricks will make the process of preparing the ingredients as simple, understandable and creative as possible, and ceviche – fantastically delicious:

1. Fish is marinated evenly if cut into equal cubes no more than 1 cm thick. Cutting too small will turn the appetizer into pulp – every bite can be felt in properly cooked ceviche.
2. The marinade lime must be pressed only by hand. He will give more juice if you use a fork, pre-roll the whole fruit on the table with a slight pressure or warm it in the microwave for 30 seconds. Juice extracted with a juicer can absorb the smell and taste of metal or plastic.
3. Ceviche is not cooked, so you should not use frozen fish. With repeated thawing and subsequent freezing, useful properties, texture, and taste of the product are lost. Difficulties may arise in determining how long the raw fillet has been stored in the freezer..
4. Some chefs use a “double” marinade. First, the fish is poured with a saline solution for about half an hour (at the rate of 3-4 tablespoons of salt per 500 ml of water). The liquid is drained, the fillets are dried with a paper towel and seasoned with lime and lemon juice. This technique is not recommended for small cuts, otherwise the taste of the main ingredient will be interrupted.