National Dish Peru: Ceviche (Recipe)
In this article
Ceviche in Peru is served within minutes of being made. The fish is cut, tossed with lime, salt, chilli and onion, and eaten almost immediately, so the outside is opaque and the centre is still translucent. Thirty-minute marinades produce something chalky and wrong.
About Ceviche
Peruvian ceviche is firm white fish, lime, red onion, ají limo and salt. No oil, no orange juice, no tomato. The liquid left behind is leche de tigre and is drunk from the glass.
It is served with boiled sweet potato and choclo, the large-kernelled Andean corn, which balance the acid. Peru has a national ceviche day on 28 June.
Ingredients (serves 1–2)
- 500 g very fresh firm white fish (sea bass, sole or corvina)
- 1/2 red onion, sliced paper-thin
- Juice of 8–10 limes
- 1 ají limo or red chilli, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh coriander, finely chopped
- Salt and pepper
- To serve: boiled sweet potato and corn
Shopping for the ingredients
Buy fish you would eat as sashimi, from a fishmonger, on the day. Firm white fish only: salmon and tuna are for tiradito, not ceviche. Use small, sharp limes rather than large juicy ones, and squeeze them gently so the bitter oils from the skin do not get in.
Preparing the dish
Cut the fish into 2 cm cubes. Slice the onion as thinly as you can and soak it in iced water for ten minutes to take the harshness out. Chill the bowl. Everything should be cold when it meets.
Step-by-step instructions
- Cut the fish into 2 cm cubes and put it in a chilled bowl.
- Season with salt and toss, then let it sit for 2 minutes.
- Add the chopped chilli and the lime juice and stir gently.
- Leave for 2 to 3 minutes only, until the outside of the fish turns opaque.
- Fold through the drained onion and the coriander.
- Taste and adjust salt.
- Serve immediately with boiled sweet potato and corn, and the leche de tigre in the bowl.
Gluten-free / lactose-free version
Ceviche contains no gluten and no dairy. It needs no adaptation for either.
Tips for vegans and vegetarians
Hearts of palm, ceviche de palmito, is a real Peruvian dish and works well with the same lime and ají treatment. Mushrooms and green mango are the other options. Leave the fish out and keep everything else.
More tips and tricks
Serve it within five minutes. The whole style of modern Peruvian ceviche, established by Darío Matsufuji and others from the 1970s, is defined by short curing. Squeeze the limes gently. And keep everything cold, including the bowl.
Adapting the recipe to your taste
Ceviche mixto adds prawns, squid and octopus. Tiradito is the Japanese-influenced version with the fish sliced rather than cubed and no onion. A spoonful of blended ají amarillo in the leche de tigre is common.
Ingredient substitutions
Sea bass, corvina, sole and halibut all work. Ají limo is the correct chilli; a habanero substitutes with more heat. Lime only, never lemon.
Drink pairing ideas
Chicha morada, the purple corn drink, is the classic. A pisco sour before. Cusqueña lager with it.
Serving and presentation ideas
Serve it in a shallow bowl with the leche de tigre pooled around, sweet potato and corn at the edge, and lettuce underneath if you want. Drink the leche de tigre from the bowl at the end; that is expected, not greedy.
A bit of history
Ceviche predates the Spanish: pre-Columbian coastal peoples cured fish with tumbo and chicha, and lime arrived later. Japanese immigration from the 1890s reshaped it into the short-cured modern form. UNESCO listed the culinary practices around it in 2023. It anchors Peruvian cuisine.
More recipe ideas
Summary: Ceviche
Ceviche is fresh white fish cured for two or three minutes in lime with chilli, onion and salt. Use sashimi-grade fish, keep everything cold, cure it briefly, and serve it at once.
