CHEF'S NOTES

I highly encourage you use pink himalayan sea salt when you make ceviche. It goes perfectly well with the fresh fish and it has lots of minerals.

Mexicans sometimes add a mix of lime and lemon to their ceviches. Also, you will most likely see everything cubed or finely chopped, not thinly sliced.

You can also roast or char ingredients like tomatoes, tomatillos, chilis and corn in a pan and then add them to the lime marinated fish. Try adding prawns, octopus, and squid to these ceviches. Mango goes very well too.

If you want to make your ceviche a showstopper, add a teaspoon of black squid ink. They sell small packages of ink at specialty stores. Serve it on a white plate for a dramatic and stunning look.

CEBICHE

Ceviche (mexico)

 30 minutes / Serves: 4 as an appetizer

Like in Peru, they are many types of ceviches in Mexico. This one is my favourite from Sinaloa, a coastal region on the Pacific Ocean, near the tequila region. The most important difference for me about the Peruvian ceviche and the Mexican is that in Peru is all about the freshness of the fish, and serving it straight away but all the Mexican cooks I have asked about how they make their ceviche tell me they marinate it for at least 3 hours. I do not think this is necessary because the fish will literally "overcook".  It will not taste bad; it will just have a bit more of a bite.  If you have a dinner party, you can make this ceviche and leave in the fridge until ready to serve.

  • 500 g snapper, kingfish or any white semi-firm super fresh fish, deboned and skinned
  • 1 tomato, deseeded, finely chopped
  • ¼ onion, finely chopped
  • 1 cucumber, deseeded and  finely chopped
  • 1 tsp finely chopped,jalapenos or serrano chillies, membranes and seeds removed
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • ¼ cup lime juice
  • 3 tbsp orange juice (optional)
  • 1 ripe avocado, cubed
  • ¼ cup chopped cilantro (coriander )
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • serve with corn chips & add additional hot sauce (optional) 

Method

Place a medium size bowl into the refrigerator to keep cold.

Dice the fillets into 2 cm cubes and transfer to the cold bowl.

Season the fish with salt and pepper. Add the rest of the ingredients, except the avocado and cilantro (coriander). Fold together and add ice cubes. Keep chilled until ready to serve. When the fish turns white, remove the ice cubes and serve. You can keep in the fridge for a day.

 When ready to serve, fold in the avocado or serve some slices on the side to pile on top of your tostada. Garnish with coriander and optional hot sauce.