Cravings No. 1: (Authentic) Peruvian Ceviche for When It's Too Hot to Cook
(Plus a park filled with cats in Lima, Peru)
DISCLAIMER: No AI was used in the writing of this article. If I use a semicolon, it’s because I’ve liked using it since high school.
Ok, so you might be thinking, “Wait, you’re not Peruvian, how can you even call this authentic?”
Well her are my “credentials”: I set up a private cooking class with a Peruvian chef while living in Lima, Peru. He gave me permission to share the recipe, so now you can enjoy a perfectly legitimate ceviche recipe straight from South America.
Its incredible for those extra hot days when you don’t feel like heating up your kitchen + you want something fresh, tangy, and savory.
But First, a Cat Park in Lima, Peru
No, not a cat cafe, but a park full of cats.
I wanted to share this bit of information because I like not gatekeeping cool travel finds.
During my six month stint of living in Lima, I stayed in an Airbnb that was right next to Parque 7 de Junio & Parque John F. Kennedy. Both were incredibly beautiful parks filled with cats that loved to be pet and take naps on your lap.
It was so nice to head out early in the morning, maybe grab a coffee, sit on one of the park benches (or church steps) as the sun shone through the trees, and have a cat chill with me.
All these cats are taken care of by the city; they’re given food + little homes to stay in. It was a really nice surprise when I arrived in Peru. ♥️ And if you ever head to Lima, then I would definitely suggest staying in a place near these parks. (Also, the neighborhood I stayed in was called Miraflores. I highly recommend it; it’s a ridiculously beautiful area.)
Back to the Ceviche
I really liked learning from a Peruvian chef because there was no wondering if the random food blogger I found online was giving me a legit recipe (or just making things up).
Also, here are some interesting bits of information Chef David shared with me:
While ceviche had been around for awhile in Peru, it was the Japanese immigrants who shared with them the cutting techniques when it came to slicing the fresh fish.
It most likely originated in Peru (sorry Mexico and Chile, but based on the history, I’m siding with them on this one).
It’s best enjoyed with leche de tigre which is a spicy, tangy sauce that really brightens the dish (will share the recipe for that below as well).
The Best Ways to Enjoy This Ceviche
On a really hot summer evening w/ some jazz playing (+ something cold to drink).
With friends on a random Saturday afternoon (while dining on your porch obviously).
After heading back from the fish market (and maybe a stop at the farmer’s market too… and the coffee shop).
Side Note: Here are all the crazy good dishes I enjoyed in Peru + restaurant recommendations.
The Simple Steps for Making Peruvian Ceviche
Ingredients
Peruvian Ceviche
1/2 Ibs. (or 225 g) of white fish (not fatty fish like salmon). Recommendations: croaker, sole, or any other type of white fish is best.
4 limes
1/2 tbs. (about 2–3 g) fresh and finely cut cilantro (can also be changed to parsley)
1 large onion cut into fine strips
1/4 aji limo pepper (or habanero)
1 ground rocoto pepper or hot sauce of your choice
1/8 tsp. salt (about 0.75 g)
Leche de Tigre Sauce
1/3 c (50 g) of the same fish
2 tbs. (15 g) red Onion
2 tbs. (10 g) fresh ginger
4 Sprigs of cilantro
¼ cup chopped celery (30 g) Celery
2 tbs. chopped hot chili (15 g) hot chili (aji limo or habanero)
1 clove garlic
The juice of 6 limes
1 tsp. salt
To Serve (Optional)
Lettuce
Kernels of 1 small corn (boiled)
Canchita serrana peper (or other small red chili of choice)
Bananas chips (chifles)
Cilantro
1 small sweet potato, sliced
Method
Ceviche Preparation
Cut the fish into cubes, put them in a medium bowl, and mix in the salt. Then, place in the freezer for 15 minutes. Make sure it’s very cold, but not frozen.
While the fish is chilling, start prepping your veggies. Thinly cut up the onion and pepper, and finely chop your cilantro (or parsley).
Once the 15 minutes is up, take the fish out of the freezer, add one more pinch of salt, and then mix with fresh lime juice (about 3 tbs. or 46 g).
Stir for 30 seconds and then add hot sauce and pepper and mix until combined.
Add the onion, cilantro, and the leche de tigre and mix.
Serve the dish with the ceviche in the center, then lettuce, sweet potato, corn, canchita, chifle (fried plantain), and top with some cilantro and a small slice of pepper.
Leche de Tigre Preparation:
Put all of the cut up ingredients into a bowl and marinate for 25 minutes.
Once it’s finished marinating, blend, strain, and put in the freezer until the ceviche is finished. Make sure it’s very cold but not frozen.