$$ · filleting, skinning, and trimming whole fish
Fillet a whole fish without wasting half of it
Following the bones and contours of whole fish with a narrow, flexible blade.
Victorinox Fibrox 8-Inch Flexible Fillet Knife
AI-generated illustration of the dish
Peru's classic ceviche: cubes of very fresh corvina tossed with salt, chile and garlic, then just a few minutes in freshly squeezed lime with red onion and cilantro. The juice left in the bowl is leche de tigre. Served at once, with sweet potato and corn.
Serves 4Prep 25 minCook 20 min
Can't find Corvina?
- Huachinango — Both are firm white fish popular in Latin American ceviches and grilled preparations — red snapper has a sweeter flavor, corvina is milder.
Ingredients & method
Ingredients
- 500 g very fresh skinless corvina fillet, sold for raw use (see tip), cut into 2 cm cubes
- Juice of 10 to 12 limes, about 150 ml, freshly squeezed
- 1 red onion, sliced as thinly as possible
- 1 ají limo or ½ habanero, seeded and finely chopped (or to taste)
- 1 small garlic clove, grated
- 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
- Fine salt
- 2 ice cubes
- To serve: 1 sweet potato (camote), boiled and sliced; 1 ear of corn (choclo), boiled and cut into rounds; lettuce leaves; cancha (toasted corn), optional
Method
- 1Boil the sweet potato and corn ahead of time, until tender, and let them cool.
- 2Soak the sliced onion in iced water for 10 minutes, then drain it well. It loses its harshness and stays crisp.
- 3Chill a glass or ceramic bowl. Put the fish in it and season with about 1 teaspoon of salt, the garlic and the chile. Stir for a minute.
- 4Squeeze the limes straight over the fish, pressing lightly; squeezing hard draws bitterness from the peel. Add the ice cubes and stir.
- 5Leave it 2 to 5 minutes, no more, until the outside of each cube turns white while the centre stays translucent.
- 6Take out what is left of the ice. Stir in the onion and cilantro, and taste for salt and heat.
- 7Serve at once on lettuce, with the sweet potato and corn, and spoon some of the leche de tigre over each plate.
Cook this well
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Chef's tip
Lime juice changes the texture of fish but does not make it safe the way cooking does. Use fish sold for raw use, or freeze it first: the FDA's parasite guidance is -20 °C (-4 °F) for 7 days. If you can't find corvina, use sea bass, halibut, snapper or flounder (in Peru, lenguado). A Mexican ceviche marinates longer and adds tomato and cucumber.
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