Colm O'Gorman: Peruvian ceviche is more substantial than you think 

The perfectly balanced flavours are just beautiful

Peruvian ceviche is made with a citrus marinade called tiger's milk, a blend of fresh lemon or lime juice infused with garlic, ginger, herbs, and chilli

Ceviche originated in Peru, and my recipe is very much in that style. Served with sweet potato and fresh corn, it is a more substantial dish than the kind of ceviche you often see served as a starter.

The secret to a great ceviche is to use the freshest fish available. In my recipe, I use cod and fresh king prawns. The prawns are especially delicious in this recipe. I blanch them in boiling water for a minute before adding them to the citrus marinade along with the fish. You could also use monkfish, seabass, or scallops for this recipe. Just choose whatever is freshest at your fish counter or fishmonger. For convenience, get your fishmonger to skin and pin bone the fish, and ask for king prawns that have been shelled and deveined.

This recipe is perfect for a summer's evening and involves very little cooking. Once you have cooked the potatoes and blanched the fresh corn and the prawns, all that is left to do is marinade the fish and prawns and then assemble the dish.

Peruvian ceviche is made with a citrus marinade called tiger's milk, a blend of fresh lemon or lime juice infused with garlic, ginger, herbs, and chilli which is used to ‘cook’ the fresh fish by marinating it for just a few minutes. The marinade turns a sort of milky white colour once it has cured the fish, hence the name, and any leftover from preparing ceviche is often then used as a base for cocktails. Try shaking up a cocktail with plenty of ice, your leftover tiger’s milk, some tequila, and a little hot sauce. It is delicious.

This recipe will serve 3-4 people.

Peruvian Ceviche

recipe by:Colm O'Gorman

Peruvian ceviche is made with a citrus marinade called tiger's milk, a blend of fresh lemon or lime juice infused with garlic, ginger, herbs, and chilli which is used to ‘cook’ the fresh fish by marinating it for just a few minutes.

Servings

4

Preparation Time

 55 mins

Cooking Time

 30 mins

Total Time

 1 hours 25 mins

Course

 Main

Cuisine

 South American

Ingredients

• Tiger's milk:

• 6 limes

• 1 small clove of garlic

• 1 cm of fresh ginger root

• A few sprigs of fresh coriander

• 1 tsp flaky sea salt

• Ceviche:

• 3 medium-sized sweet potatoes

• 1 ear of fresh corn on the cob

• ½ red onion

• 1 red chilli

• 300g skinless cod fillet

• 200g raw king prawns

• To Serve:

• Some fresh coriander

• Thinly sliced red chilli

Method

1. Peel the sweet potatoes and boil them in a pan of salted water until they are cooked through but not too soft, about ten to twelve minutes will do it. When they are done, remove them from the water and allow them to cool a little before cutting them into slices about 1cm thick and set them aside.

2. Stand the ear of corn on one end in a bowl, and using a sharp knife, cut away the kernels. Blanche the corn in boiling water for a minute or two before draining it into a colander and rinsing it under a cold tap to cool it down. Drain off any excess water and then set aside.

3. Squeeze the limes and pour the juice into a large ceramic or glass bowl. It is best not to use a metal bowl as the metal can react with the citrus juice and give a slightly tainted flavour. Peel and roughly chop the garlic and ginger and add them to the juice. Wash and roughly chop the coriander and pop that in as well. Stir well and allow it to infuse for ten minutes before draining it through a sieve into another bowel. Add the salt, and stir that in. If you are using fine sea salt instead of the flaky kind, use just half a teaspoon.

4. Peel the red onion and cut it into very fine slices. Rinse it well under a cold tap and then soak it in very cold water for five to ten minutes. Drain the onion and then lay it out on a clean kitchen towel to remove any excess water. Soaking the onion will make it crisper and less bitter and will help to balance the flavours in your ceviche beautifully.

5. Make sure all the bones have been removed from your fillet of cod and then cut it into 1cm chunks. Place the fish on a plate and sprinkle it with some flaky sea salt and allow it to rest for five minutes. Blanche the prawns in boiling water for one minute, before draining them into a colander and rinsing them under a cold tap to stop them from overcooking and to cool them down. Add the prawns and the fish to the lime juice and marinade them for three to four minutes. You will see that the fish becomes a little opaque and changes texture as it ‘cooks’ in the marinade. Do not leave it in the marinade for too long or it will be overdone. You want it fresh and juicy, and full of flavour.

6. Wash the chilli and remove the stalk, pith, and seeds. Chop it very finely and then add it to the fish along with the onion. Stir everything together gently to combine it.

7. Arrange the slices of sweet potato in a single-layer circle on four plates. Use a slotted spoon to remove the ceviche from the marinade, draining off most of the tiger’s milk, and arrange it on top of the sweet potato. Do make sure to drain off most of the marinade as you plate up each serving or the ceviche will be a little too sharp from the lime juice. Scatter over the blanched kernels of corn and then finish the dish off with some roughly chopped fresh coriander and thinly sliced red chilli.