Tangy, spicy, cool, and crunchy
Impress your guests (or yourself!) with this Mexican ceviche
People, people, people! Hola, is everyone getting ready for fall? Are you packing school lunches yet (too soon???). The last few weeks, I’ve wanted to share with you recipes and ideas for things that require very little cooking or even no cooking at all. And one of the first things that comes to mind for me when it comes to no-cook appetizers or a first course (or even a whole dinner, you can do whatever you’d like!) is ceviche! It hits all the right notes—the chilled fish cools the heat from the chilies, and tangy lime juice adds a bright freshness that compliments the acid of the tomatoes and the sharpness of onion.
Ceviche originated in Peru—it is believed that thousands of years ago, in northern Peru, fishermen would eat their day’s catch right from the sea. Mummies from ancient Peruvian civilizations (before Incan times!) show traces of seafood in their stomachs, and even chili pepper seeds, so the preparation could have been very similar to what we know as ceviche today! (For a deeper dive on the food culture of Peru, check out this post from January!)
Ceviche and other similar dishes are popular in many cultures around the world—fish at its freshest, just out of the sea, is one of the most amazing, silky, pure textures you can experience. Japan of course has sashimi…Hawaii has poke…MANY places serve different versions of tartar…and of course in Spain we love to serve bluefin tuna raw in many different ways.
The most important ingredient for a good ceviche is the freshest fish you can find. In this recipe, I suggest you use sea bass or red snapper, or another mild, firm-fleshed fish that won’t overpower the other ingredients. Find a fishmonger that you trust, where you know the fish is very fresh. From there, you can use any combination of ingredients, but many times you will use a hot chili pepper and onion…they compliment the fresh fish and add a slight crunch for texture. The fish also “cooks” in citrus juice—in this case, lime juice—yes, people, it actually breaks down the protein in the fish in a similar way that applying heat would…so maybe we could call this cooking?
We serve ceviche at many of our restaurants…at China Chilcano, we serve a ceviche clásico which uses the firm white fish corvina; at China Poblano, we use tuna; and at Oyamel, we use bass. Today’s ceviche comes from Mexico, and this recipe is from my old restaurant, J by José Andrés, which was a Spanish restaurant in Mexico City (with some Mexican dishes on the menu). Mexico City is such an incredible place to visit, for all the history, the culture and of course the food! While J is no longer open, this recipe brings its spirit back to life…a simple and beautiful reflection of some of the best ingredients you can find in Mexico, with a perfect balance of the delicate fish, the heat from the Serrano pepper, just a bit of sharpness from the white onion and acid from the lime juice and tomatoes, and a nice crunch from pumpkin seeds. You can enjoy it with tortilla chips or plantain chips…or even just with a spoon! But any time you make ceviche at home, it can turn an ordinary meal into something just a little more special.
Ceviche Mexicano
Serves 2