Peruvian Ceviche

From Meg's Kitchen

There are a couple of problems with loving to cook: 1) limited space for cookbooks and cooking related magazines means that every once-in-awhile one is forced to weed (librarian term for removing books from the collection) to make space for new publications and 2) remembering where you found a favorite recipe.

After reading Mary's interesting ceviche recipe (I've never had it with watermelon and grapefruit) I wanted to share the recipe that I first tried from Latin American Cooking, part of the Time-Life, Foods of the World series published in 1968.  I had a bit of a panic because I remember the recipe being in the recipe booklet that came with the hardbound publication that included chapters about the culture and climates of the Latin American countries.  The booklet had fallen apart over the years and I threw it out.  Fortunately the hardbound volume includes the recipes that were in the booklet (a fact I had forgotten).

This recipe is much more basic than Mary's recipe but really good.  I would like to point out that in South America the "limao" used in ceviche, caparinhas, etc. is more of a cross between the lemon and limes you find in the US.

Ceviche

Serves 6 generously

1 cup fresh lime juice
1 cup fresh lemon juice
4 dried red chiles, seeded and pulverized with a mortar and pestle (or use dried red chile flakes) adjust amount to your taste
2 red onions, sliced 1/8 inch thick and separated into rings
1/4 tsp finely chopped garlic
1 tsp salt
freshly ground black pepper
2 lbs grey sole fillets cut into 1-inch pieces, or substitute any other firm white, delicately flavored fish
2 heads Boston or romaine lettuce, washed, separated into leaves, and chilled

In a bowl, mix the citrus juices, ground dried chilies, onion rings, garlic, salt and a few grindings of pepper.  Place the fish in a flat class or ceramic dish (a metal dish or utensil may affect the flavor of the fish) and pour the marinade over it.  If the marinade does not cover the fish, add more citrus juice. Cover and refrigerate for 3 hours or until the fish is white and opaque, indicating that it is fully "cooked".

To assemble each serving, shape several lettuce leaves into a cup on a plate.  Place a portion of marinated fish in each cup and garnish with onion rings.

Note:  In Peru this dish is accompanied by corn on the cob cut into rounds and sweet potato rounds (boil the sweet potatoes whole and then peel and cut into thick rounds).