Sea Bass Ceviche with Leche de Tigre — Acurio-Inspired

About This Recipe

This dish is inspired by Chef Gastón Acurio's career-long advocacy for Peruvian cuisine and his pioneering La Mar cebicherías across the Americas, Europe and Asia. Ceviche is Peru's national dish — declared so by the Peruvian government in 2008 — and the leche de tigre ('tiger's milk') is its essential element: the spicy, citrus-acid cure that transforms raw fish into something at once fresh and deeply seasoned. The accompaniments — sweet potato, choclo corn, crispy toasted corn (cancha) and red onion — are non-negotiable and create the classic Peruvian ceviche plate. This is our original recipe in the tradition Acurio has done so much to globalise.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 600 gsea bass fillet(sushi-grade, skin off, cut into 2cm dice)
• 12fresh limes(Peruvian or key limes preferred)
• 1red onion(very thinly sliced)
• 1rocoto chili(or red habanero, seeded and finely minced)
• 1 tspaji amarillo paste(Peruvian yellow chili paste)
• 1 smallgarlic clove(minced into paste)
• 2 tbspfresh coriander (cilantro)(leaves and tender stems, chopped)
• 1 stickcelery(finely diced)
• 2sweet potatoes(for serving)
• 1ear of choclo (Peruvian large-kernel corn)(or regular sweetcorn, husked)
• 60 gcancha (toasted Peruvian corn)(or salted corn nuts, for garnish)
• salt(to taste)

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare the accompaniments

   Boil the sweet potatoes whole until completely tender, 20–25 minutes. Boil the choclo / corn for 12 minutes. Cool both, peel the sweet potatoes and slice into 1cm rounds. Cut the corn into wheels.

   These accompaniments are non-negotiable — they balance the acid of the leche de tigre.

2. 2

   Soak the onion

   Soak the sliced red onion in ice water for 10 minutes — this softens its sharpness and makes it crisp. Drain and pat dry.

3. 3

   Make the leche de tigre

   In a bowl, whisk together the juice of 10 limes, the rocoto, aji amarillo paste, garlic, half the coriander, the celery and 1 teaspoon salt. Taste — it should be aggressively sour, slightly hot and pleasantly aromatic. This is your tiger's milk.

   The salt, acid and chili must all be assertive — they will be diluted by the fish.

4. 4

   Cure the fish

   5 minutes before serving, add the diced fish to the leche de tigre and stir gently. Let cure for exactly 3–5 minutes — the fish should turn opaque on the outside but remain slightly translucent in the centre. Over-curing makes the fish chalky.

5. 5

   Plate Peruvian-style

   Spoon the ceviche and a generous amount of leche de tigre into shallow bowls. Arrange sweet potato rounds and corn wheels alongside. Top the fish with the drained red onion and the remaining coriander. Scatter cancha over the top. Add the juice of the remaining 2 limes if you want extra acidity. Serve immediately.

Variations

• •

  Mixed Seafood Ceviche: add diced raw shrimp, squid and octopus alongside the fish.

• •

  Tiradito: instead of dicing the fish, slice it sashimi-thin and dress with leche de tigre — a Nikkei (Japanese-Peruvian) variation.

• •

  Vegan Ceviche: substitute hearts of palm or roasted oyster mushrooms for the fish.

Storage

Ceviche must be eaten immediately — it cannot be stored. The leche de tigre alone keeps for 24 hours.

Frequently Asked Questions