Ceviche recipe from Aymara Peru

Would you like to make ceviche the way we make it at Aymara? The most important ingredient in an authentic Peruvian ceviche is leche de tigre – along with quality produce, of course. Like a lot of other Peruvian food, this is a very nutritious dish, so having ceviche on the dinner table is a really good habit!

 

Our mission is to make the world’s best ceviche, regardless of whether we make it with salmon, halibut, cod or other seafood. Did you know that it is also possible to make vegetarian ceviche? We tend to use ingredients such as mushrooms or pickled vegetables in season instead of seafood. In our opinion, the most important ingredient in a proper ceviche is to make a really good marinade; the leche de tigre. How to make leche de tigre the way they do it in Peru, you may be wondering now? Read on, and we’ll guide you through just that process!

 

 

What is leche de tigre?

 

Leche de tigre is a lime-based sauce used to marinate fish. Leche de tigre is a popular ingredient in food from South America, and is used in dishes such as ceviche and tiradito. You can flavor your leche de tigre with all sorts of spices and flavorings, but in Peru it is common to use chili fruits such as rocoto and ají amarillo. Leche de tigre is also called tiger milk, which is its meaning in Spanish. Peruvian cuisine has a lot of influences from Asian cuisine, so it is also not unusual to have Asian flavors such as soy, hoisin and teriyaki in Peruvian food. This style of Peruvian cuisine is called Nikkei – a sub-cuisine that you can read more about here.

As well as adding flavor, the citric acid in leche de tigre ensures that the proteins in the seafood are denatured – giving the appearance of being cooked. Traditional ceviche was marinated for about three hours. Modern ceviche, popularized in the 1970s, usually has a very short marinating period. If you choose the right fish, a ceviche can be marinated in the time it takes to put on the garnish and bring the dish to the table.

Leche de tigre is considered to be very healthy, and some believe that leche de tigre can help cure hangovers. In Peru, it is common to be served a small glass of leche de tigre when you go to a ceviche bar; as a small appetizer or mid-course.

 

 

How to make leche de tigre

 

To make leche de tigre, you need lime, onion, garlic, ginger and coriander, among other ingredients. A Peruvian leche de tigre often contains chillies such as ajï amarillo (yellow chilli) or rocoto (red chilli). If you make a base on classic leche de tigre, you can freeze it and use it to make ceviche or tiradito with various spices or flavorings.

 

Recipe for classic leche de tigre
(for 4 portions of ceviche eller tiradito)

0.5 onion
2 cloves of garlic
approx. 1 celery stick
1 ts grinded ginger
1 ts fresh coriander
1.5 dl lime juice (3-4 lime)
1 ts aji amarillo paste (or approx. 1 ts habanero chili)
1.4 dl fish stock/sauce
1.5 ts salt

Begin by chopping all ingredients that need chopping and putting them in a bowl.

Squeeze the lime (not all the way to the peel, then the juice will turn out bitter) and pour the lime juice into the bowl.

Add fish stock/sauce and run the mixture in a blender / with a hand mixer on low power, until it is smooth.

 

Season with salt, strain the tiger milk and leave it cold for about an hour. When your leche de tigre has cooled, you can use it to make your favorite type; salmon ceviche, halibut ceviche, ceviche with cod – or why not an Asian ceviche with salmon and avocado, peanuts, sesame seeds and a dash of shoyu in the marinade?

 

 

 

What is ceviche?

 

Ceviche is a Latin American dish that is usually made from fresh, raw fish marinated in citrus juice; usually based on lime or lemon. The citrus juice is also seasoned with chili peppers or other spices, red onion, salt and cilantro, and is called leche de tigre.

Ceviche is often eaten as an appetizer. If eaten as a main course it is usually served with side dishes that complement the flavors. Side dishes that go well with ceviceh is for example sweet potato, lettuce, Peruvian corn (choclo and cancha), avocado or plantain (cooking banana).

Ceviche is a popular dish in the coastal areas of countries such as Peru, Chile and Ecuador in western South America. Many countries have their own twist on ceviche, with different preferred ingredients and flavorings. Classic Peruvian ceviche usually consists of pieces of raw fish marinated in freshly squeezed lime, sliced onions, chili peppers, salt and pepper, choclo corn, roasted corn and sweet potato.

PS! In latin america, ceviche is pronounced with a b instead of v [seˈβitʃe]. Good to know, if you want to impress someone with your Spanish knowledge!

 

What is tiradito?

 

Tiradito is a Peruvian dish consisting of raw fish, cut the way the Japanese cut sashimi. Along with ceviche, tiradito is one of the classic Peruvian dishes that has become popular worldwide. Tiradito differs from ceviche in two main ways; the fish in a tiradito is sliced, while the fish in ceviche is diced. In addition,  tiradito is usually marinated for a shorter time than a ceviche.

Common garnishes on a tiradito include sweet potato, boiled corn, onion, and cilantro. Modern variations of tiradito may include ingredients such as scallops – and techniques such as rapid searing of the seafood used.

The dish tiradito reflects the influence of Japanese immigrants on Peruvian cuisine. The modern version of tiradito, and to some extent also ceviche, was developed in the 1970s by Peruvian-Japanese chefs – who made the dishes famous all over the world.

 

 

Aymara is a Peruvian restaurant in Oslo that serves dishes that are perfect for sharing. See pictures of Aymara here – and check out our menu here.

Aymara also offer takeaway – read more and order here.