Seabass ceviche

Don ceviche! This is the national dish of Peru, a nation which I have heard amazing things about food-wise – Lima is very high on my (long) list of places to go! Until I can afford a plane ticket however, this will have to do. Ceviche is a very interesting dish, as it involves raw fish, which you ‘cold-cook’ using just salt and lime. You can do this with many cuts of fish – I’ve seen prawn, scallops and lots of other white fish used. The fish stays very succulent and moist, but is cured by the liquid, which is known as ‘tiger’s milk’, or as they say in Peru ‘Leche de Tigre’ (this is officially my new favourite phrase).

Having looked at a few recipes online, this is an amalgamation of a couple, with an emphasis on accessible ingredients. Disclaimer – this is not the most authentic recipe out there, but it is one that most people can re-create at home if they want. With that in mind, I’d love you to give it a go. If you do, tag me on instagram @OTCooks_Eats with the results. I’ve even done an instagram story on how I made it, which you can find on my page. Here’s how you make it:

Ingredients (serves 2):

• 2 seabass fillets (very fresh), de-boned

• 2 limes plus 1 for garnish

• 1 small red onion

• Small handful of coriander

• 1 small/medium sweet potato

• 1 tsp cinnamon

• 1 star anise

• Pinch of caster sugar

• 1 red chilli

• Salt and pepper

Method:

1. Bring some water to the boil in a medium saucepan. Once the water is up to the boil, add in the cinnamon, sugar and the star anise.

2. Peel the sweet potato, and dice it into 1cm cubes. Add to the boiling water and cook for 5-7 minutes, until cooked through but still firm. Drain, remove the star anise and set aside.

3. Take the skin off the seabass, being careful not to cut away too much of the flesh. Once the skin is removed, slice into bite-size chunks and place in a large bowl. Sprinkle over a generous pinch of salt and pepper, and rub it into the fish. Set aside and leave for 10 minutes

4. Meanwhile, finely dice the red onion as small as you can. Place the chopped onion into a bowl and cover with boiling water for 1 minute, then drain and set aside.

5. Finely chop the coriander, and finely dice the chilli. You can choose whether to leave the seeds/pith in or out, depending on how spicy you want it to be.

6. Squeeze in the juice of 2 limes onto the fish, and add in the chilli, red onion, coriander and sweet potato, and mix well. Leave to combine for 5 minutes mixing every so often, to plate up.

7. To serve, use a ring mould, and place 1/2 the ceviche mixture inside the mould. Pour over the liquidRemove the mould, leaving a cylindrical shape of ceviche. Top with a twist of lime, some coriander leaves, and a slice or two of red chilli.

This was completely revolutionary when I made it, and I would love for you to give it a go. Unlike most other things I’ve eaten. Enjoy.

OT x

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