Peruvian ceviche with Maras salt

It is Peru's national dish, and one often spoiled in France by leaving it to marinate too long. Ceviche is seasoned raw fish, served within minutes of preparation.

Ingredients — for 4

• 600 g very fresh, firm white fish: sea bass, sea bream, cod or meagre
• 10 to 12 limes
• 1 red onion
• 1 mild chilli, or half a hot chilli with seeds removed
• 1 small bunch coriander
• 2 teaspoons fine-grain pink Maras salt
• 1 sweet potato and some corn kernels, to serve

Preparation — 25 min · Marinating — 2 min

1. Boil the whole sweet potato for 25 minutes. Cool, peel and cut into thick slices.
2. Slice the onion very finely, soak in ice water for 5 minutes, then drain. It softens the sharpness while preserving the crunch.
3. Cut the fish into even 2 cm cubes so the lime acts evenly.
4. Salt the fish and mix. Wait two minutes before adding the lime juice.
5. Squeeze the limes by hand without crushing the peel. Pour over the fish and add the chopped chilli.
6. Mix, wait two minutes, then add the onion and chopped coriander.
7. Serve immediately with the sweet potato, corn and juice at the bottom of the plate.

Why season before adding the lime

Seasoning first distributes the salt over the fish before adding the acid. In this recipe, we follow that order for even seasoning.

Fine salt dissolves quickly. Coarse salt takes longer, so we prefer fine salt here.

Citric acid denatures the proteins at the surface, giving the fish an opaque appearance. Longer marinating changes the texture further. In Peru, ceviche is served freshly prepared.

Leche de tigre

The juice at the bottom is called leche de tigre: a mixture of lime, salt, fish juices and chilli. It can also be served in a small glass as an aperitif.

The fish must be very fresh: tell your fishmonger that it will be eaten raw. For raw consumption, freeze the fish for seven days in a domestic freezer, then thaw it in the fridge. We explain where this salt comes from and why it is pink in this article.