National Ceviche Day

Today, Friday 28 June, is National Ceviche Day and to mark the celebration of Peru’s famous dish – fresh fish marinated in citrus juice – we wanted to share Chef Pedro Miguel Schiaffino’s famous Grilled Paiche Ceviche recipe from the cookbook, “From the Kitchens of Aqua Expeditions”:

Ingredients –

1 lb fresh paiche fillets, cut in ¾ inch cubes

½ lb red onion, washed and cut in julienne strips

1 ¾ ounces sweet chilli cut in julienne strips

4 charapita chillies, ground

Drops of lemon juice

Cocona purée

2 peeled coconuts cut in 4

¼ cup olive oil

2 tablespoons white sugar

Salt

Tiradito sauce

2 charapita chillies, deveined

2 cups red onions, thickly chopped

2 sachaculanto leaves

¼ lb fish trimmings, skinned and cleaned

½ celery rib, roughly chopped

2 garlic gloves

2 cups lime juice

A pinch of hondashi

1 teaspoon fresh ginger

Salt

White pepper

5 ice cubs

Preparation –

Cocona purée

Cook cocona in boiling water with sugar and salt to taste. Cook until translucent. Remove the cocona from the water, let cool, and blend with olive oil to emulsify. Force through a fine strainer.

Tiradito sauce

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl, season with salt, pepper, and hondashi to taste. Put mix in a blender and pulse 3 times. Do not blend more than necessary. Force through fine strainer. Pour cocona cream and tiradito sauce into a blender and emulsify, add salt to taste, and keep cold.

Assembly

Place fish, onion, sweet chilli, sachaculanto, and charapita chilies in a bowl. Add salt and a few drops of lemon. Mix well.

Pour in cocona purée and mix again.

Place the ceviche on bijao leaves and wrap to make tamales. Make sure the tamales are well sealed to prevent juices from pouring out.

Put the ceviche on the grill and cook for 5 minutes, just until the liquid starts to bubble. Do not overcook, so that the ceviche doesn’t become dry. Place tamacle on plate and open upon serving…