Photo courtesy of Seviche restaurant, Louisville, KY
Celebrating Ceviche
Ceviche recipe
By Maya Dollarhide
Chef Anthony Lamas grew up eating ceviche, and was quick to add it to the menu when he opened Seviche restaurant in Louisville, Kentucky, more than 13 years ago.
“I was first introduced to ceviches as a kid because my mom would make it in our home. Or when we traveled through Baja, California, we would see ceviche on food stands at the beach,” Lamas recalls. “They would cook and marinate freshly caught fish or octopus right in front of us. It was a refreshing, cold, seafood salsa and I loved having it as a treat.”
But the same wasn’t true of diners more than a decade ago; they were hesitant to try the offerings made with raw fish and seafood that graced Seviche’s menu.
How times have changed. Restaurant menus from coast to coast are celebrating ceviche, as more and more customers embrace the dish, in all its varieties.
“Ceviche is the Latin answer to sushi and sashimi, and Americans now have the palate to experiment with raw ingredients because of what I call the ‘sushi-craze’,” Lamas says. “Another reason why I think ceviche is trending is that the health aspect of ceviche is appealing. It is rare to get so much flavor out of something that is virtually fat free.”
A Versatile Menu Option
Most food historians agree that the first ceviche likely came out of Peru. Today, creative chefs incorporate a variety of ingredients to create regional varieties of this Latin-inspired dish: avocado, chiles and cucumber in Mexican ceviche, pink Key West shrimp in southern Florida, and corn and potatoes in Peruvian ceviche, to name a few.
The beauty of ceviche, says Lamas, is the flexibility of the fresh ingredients that can be used.
“We typically use raw tuna, shellfish and in-season fish for our ceviches and main plates, and prefer to offer a variety to meet the differing taste buds of our customers,” he says. “Raw tuna and halibut are most versatile in ceviches because of their tenderness. One of my favorite ceviches to create is the Mixto Ceviche, which includes shrimp, fresh fish and octopus—the flavors and textures come together to make something really amazing in taste.
“One of my most popular dishes,” he continues, “is an Ahi Tuna ceviche made with Thai and Asian-infused flavored tuna, cilantro, ginger, lime, and soy served in a coconut. It’s bold, simple flavors come together in a tasty and refreshing way.”
Then there’s the restaurant’s Tuna Old Fashioned Ceviche, marinated with bluegrass soy sauce, Kentucky bourbon and pineapple in a nod to its Kentucky home.
The ceviche scene is similar at Ceviche Taqueria, a concept with two locations—one in Roswell and one in Alpharetta, Georgia.
Head Chef Luis Olmedo developed the restaurant’s popular mahi-mahi ceviche—a dish that has been a best-seller ever since it was added to the menu, according to Zach McDearmont, the FOH and social media manager at both locations.
“We marinate our mahi-mahi with juice from oranges and limes, add cilantro, onion, jalapeño and a little bit of red wine vinegar,” McDearmont explains. “A day later both the flavor and texture are perfect. We also offer shrimp, scallop, and a market selection. I would say if you’re thinking about adding ceviche to your menu, definitely play around with the recipe for your marinade and the way you serve it before you do,” he adds.
McDearmont also recommends experimenting with ingredients to craft unique ceviche offerings.
“Some of the seafood take on flavor so well that you can really get creative with it,” he says. “We offer our guests the opportunity to eat their ceviche with our ‘add-ons’ section. They can add tostones, red onion and jalapeño, corn nuts, or fresh fruit (which varies depending on the season).”
Ceviche Taqueria’s patrons also have the option of ordering the First Timer, a choice of three small portions of ceviche—an option that gives the restaurant the opportunity to introduce new varieties of the dish and maybe even create new ceviche fans.
Consider the Challenges
As simple as ceviche looks on the plate, it can present challenges for chefs who want to add it to their menus.
“At Seviche, the seafood is served incredibly fresh, so you have to understand the timing of how long it needs to be marinated and prepped. If the seafood soaks too long in the citrus marinade, it will be left overcooked and dry,” says Lamas. “Secondly, we face a challenge in knowing how much of it to make daily. We estimate each morning how many servings of our different ceviches we expect to plate. I prefer to run out of the dish over wasting it, but if we have leftovers, we typically share it with the staff.”
The cost of fresh fish and shellfish must be considered as well, and chefs should also remember that while the ceviche does “cook” in citrus juices, that does not kill off bacteria, so any raw food ingredients must be handled with care.
“Now more than ever, fish is in high demand and there are newer species appearing on the market every day, which is raising prices,” cautions Lamas. “Additionally, fish is a delicate, perishable ingredient that can go bad quickly without care and this alone could cost you. That is why it is incredibly important to understand how to make it work.”
To help overcome those challenges, Lamas advises chefs to “get to know your fishmonger and source the freshest fish available.”
He also applies what he calls a “secret” he learned some time ago.
“I freeze the pieces of fish for four hours, which will kill the bacteria and prevent foodborne illnesses, and make the fish easier to slice for a clean, beautiful looking cut,” Lamas says. “Apart from that, the best way to understand ceviche is to travel and learn about it—go to Latin America or Miami.”
Ultimately, Lamas says the most important aspect of ceviche is to treat the fish with respect.
“You are working with raw fish that is served cold, and understanding how to be delicate and professional with [this kind of] seafood is important. You have to do it justice. It is a traditional dish that requires knowledge and experience.”
Maya Dollarhide is a regular contributor to el Restaurante.
The “Cooking” Process
Ceviche (sometimes spelled cebiche or seviche) is raw seafood marinated in a mixture of lime or lemon juice and spices until the citrus causes the seafood to become firm. When fish is marinated in the acidic juices, the acids create denaturation, a chemical process that makes the fish opaque and firm to the touch.
A Primer on Raw Fish and Seafood Dishes
Ceviche, crudo, poke, sashimi and sushi— all are popping up in some form on menus nationwide. How do they differ?
• Ceviche is raw fish and seafood chopped into bite-size pieces and briefly marinated (“cooked”) in lime, lemon or even orange juice.
• Crudo is Italy’s answer to sashimi. Pesce crude is thinly sliced raw fish, traditionally dressed with olive oil and salt, and sometimes citrus and spices. (Carne crudo is a version prepared with raw meat.)
• Poke (which comes from the Hawaiian word poke, meaning to slice or cut) began as a snack fisherman prepared by seasoning a piece of their catch with green onions, soy sauce, some limu seaweed, salt and sometimes kukui nut meat.
• Sashimi is raw fish, usually sliced thinly across the grain and served with a simple soy sauce, wasabi preparation or ponzu sauce.
• Sushi isn’t raw fish! Many people think it is...but the term “sushi” actually refers to vinegar seasoned rice, which is the basis of any sushi. Sushi can be made with both cooked and raw ingredients and is not limited to fish. —Source: somethingnewfordinner.com/
Fun Facts
Leche de Tigre (tiger’s milk) is the Peruvian term for the citrus-based marinade used to make ceviche. Many Peruvians believe it has “miraculous properties; it’s reputedly a stimulant and an aphrodisiac, and some say it cures hangovers.”
—Source: Ceviche Peruvian Kitchen by Martin Morales; published by Ten Speed Press
One legend traces ceviche back about 2000 years to the Moche of Peru, who used the fermented juice from local banana passionfruit to marinate their seafood. Recently, historians have discovered that fish was marinated in chichi, an andean fermented beverage during the rule of the Inca.
—Source: www.eatperu.com