I remember when I first had Ceviche, we were in the Dominican Republic to celebrate my Grandparents 50th Wedding Anniversary at an all inclusive resort. As typical of these resorts, they had your standard buffet and the nicer restaurant option, which is were I first tried Ceviche. Everybody that had it was blown away and I must have eaten the Ceviche, three times on a seven day trip.
Ceviche is a fascinating dish, as there is no heat involved in the “cooking” process. The lime juice “cooks” the fish through a process called denaturation. Denaturation changes the chemical compounds, Chowhound offers a better explanation
In this process, the heat or citric acid changes the proteins in the fish, unraveling the molecules and altering their chemical and physical properties. When fish is bathed in citrus juices, this process of denaturation turns the flesh firm and opaque, as if it had been cooked with heat.
Important to note however is that the citric acid does not kill bacteria or parasites so it is best to use fresh fish that you feel confident in. Nobody likes food poisoning or parasites.
Enough about science, making Ceviche is a really simple and fun process, just need to do a little bit of chopping and squeezing. The recipe list is small as well, which is something I always appreciate.
- 2 lbs tilapia fillets or 2 lbs other firm white fish fillets, cubed
- 8 -10 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 teaspoons fresh cilantro, chopped
- 1 habanero pepper, seeded and chopped
- 8 -12 limes, freshly squeezed and strained to remove pulp, enough to cover fish
- 1 red onion, thinly sliced and rinsed
Chopping 2 pounds of tilapia takes some time. You also want to cut them into very even pieces, I cut mine into squares.
If you are planning on making this, you will absolutely need a lime/lemon juicer. I used 12 limes for this and the juicer was invaluable.
Lime juicer in action
Finally when all the other ingredients are added and mixed, you can add the thinly sliced red onion on top.
After chilling in the fridge for three hours it was time to eat.
The Ceviche was very refreshing; it would have been amazing on a hot summer day by the pool with a frosty beer. I think this dish functions better as an appetizer than as a main dish. While eating it for dinner, I did find myself getting overwhelmed by the flavors and the acid.
If you are making this for just two people, I would highly recommend scaling down the amount of fish you use; two pounds was too much for two people. Otherwise this was a great national dish that I would love to make again.
Recipe for the Ceviche is available here and the explanation of denaturation is here.