The basic definition of ceviche is raw fish, shrimp or scallops soaked in acid until “cooked”. Usually, the acid is citrus juice and, even more frequently, lime juice. It’s a very popular dish in many countries in the Caribbean, Latin America, and South America, most likely originating in Peru.
It’s one of those things tourists are often afraid of if they know what it is. The idea that heat wasn’t used to cook the seafood scares people away, but as long as the fish is fresh, handled correctly, and cured in the lime juice properly, it’s perfectly safe. It also may seem like a bad idea to be eating fish prepared in this way in Mexico, but the acid in the lime juice does an excellent job of preserving the fish before food-bourne bacteria have a chance to penetrate it.
The first time I had ceviche, I had the same reaction many tourists have. The idea of eating raw fish in Mexico seemed like a huge, unnecessary risk, but I’ve been known to make stupid decisions in regard to food, so I grabbed a chip and dug in. It was fantastic! There is tartness from the lime, creamy texture from avocado, crisp onion, and a wonderful subtle heat. I was hooked. It’s something I look forward to every time I travel to a country that serves it, and I’ve even tried making it at home.
I decided to attempt ceviche for the first time with 23 of my aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents at a family reunion. Go big or go home, I guess. I bought 6 pounds of shrimp and whitefish, 40 limes, and spent the evening squeezing.
Realistically, I had no idea how long to soak the seafood. I read a ton of recipes, and all of them had drastically different times. I learned later on that there is no exact time. The seafood differs from fish to fish, and you just have to check it periodically. Sometimes, for a small amount of a robust fish, it could take 15 minutes. In the case of my family dinner, it took about 8 hours, and since I was using two different kinds of seafood, shrimp and tilapia, it cured at different rates, overcooking the tilapia. You can really only tell it’s done when the texture of the seafood is the same as if it had been cooked with heat.
I managed to succeed in making ceviche seafood tacos for all 23 people and NOT poison anyone! Since then, I’ve made this recipe any time shrimp is on sale.
Here’s my recipe for a little taste of Latin America. Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 1 pound shrimp, scallops or firm white fish (Not frozen! The fresher, the better!)
- 8 limes, juiced
- ½ a medium red onion, finely diced
- ¼ tsp red chili flakes
- 1 small tomato, finely diced
- 3 Tbsp parsley, finely chopped
- 3 Tbsp cilantro, finely chopped
- 2 Tbsp fresh orange juice
Directions
- Dice the seafood into uniform pieces, a little smaller than bite-sized.
- Combine the seafood, lime juice, onion, and red chili flakes into a container and refrigerate until the seafood has the consistency of cooked seafood. Usually 1 – 2 hours.
- Drain the excess lime juice. (You can save and re-use this. It is safe to use in other dishes such as guacamole or fajitas.)
- Add parsley, cilantro, tomatoes, and orange juice.
- Serve with tortilla chips or in tacos with guacamole.
