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A tale of two ceviches

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John View Drop Down
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    Posted: 15 June 2010 at 22:08
A Tale of Two Ceviches
 
I have been a fan of ceviche for some time and have sampled many versions as well as developed my own recipe which I believe is outstanding (overwhelming independant confirmation has been established).   I will share the recipe in a future post. 
 
For now, let me lead intop this topic by saying that until recently, I always thought of ceviche as a Mexican dish and never much thought about earlier origins.  When in Peru recently, I discovered that ceviche originated in South America (Peru and Ecuador both claim the credit).  I also discovered that the ceviche I was so accustomed to (Mexican style) and the Peruvian variety are much different in preparation, presentation and style.
 
Generally speaking, ceviche is fish that has been pickled in citris juice and usually contains onions and spices that vary with regions and recipes.  In Mexican style ceviche, lime juice is combined with items such as cilantro, cumin, other spices, various peppers and onions.  This marinade is used to "cook" firm white fish and often shrimp.  The fish is left in the marinade for at least a day and often a number of days in all of the Mexican style preparations that I have made, sampled or read about.  Mexican ceviche, when ordered in restaurants north of the border, is typically served with tortilla chips although it quite tasty when placed upon nothing more than your fork.
 
In Peru, ceviche is ubiquitous since it is the national dish.  There are many different styles but none of them are at all like the Mexican style.  Peruviuan ceviche is marinated in Peruvain Lemons (these are a lot like key limes; very small and a greeninsh/yellow even when ripe) or sometimes a local fruit called the "sour orange" which is just what it sounds like; orange in flavor and lemony in tartness.  Commonly used both alone and in combination are Sea Bass, shrimp, mussels, onions, and some styles employ hot peppers (a local variety called "aji amarillo" is quite common). 
 
Now the clincher;  Peruvian ceviche marinates for 20 miuntes only and is served immediatley.  Becuase of this it is always made to order and the lemon/orange juices have little time to actually pickle the fish so you are essentially getting sushi with a nice citris bath.
 
While in Lima for a total of about five days, I ordered ceviche for at least one meal each day.  I tried various retaurants and two or three styles.  I stayed away from the shrimp and mussels when I learned about the 20-minute mariantion (not that longer marination actually kills any micro-organisms so I guess it is just all in my head).   For some reason, raw mussells and raw shrimp was giving me some pause.  The styles I sampled stuck pretty much with firm white fish varieties and involved variations in spices, with and without peppers, differing accompaniments and varying varrieties of fish (Sea Bass was phenomenal!).  They all had plenty of onions and one employed the sour orange (outstanding flavor, It tasted equivalent to what I would expect to get from adding a tablespoon of orange juice to a about a 1/2 cup of lemon juice).
 
Following is a photo of the Sea Bass ceviche (sorry, I got half way through it before I remebered to take a photo).
 
The "corn" is some sort of a maize family crop but has another name becuase they also have the corn that we are accustomed to in the USA.  They gave me the name but I do not recall it right now.  I'll have to research that one and post an update.  These kernals are a large as your thumbnail.  Ceviche is sometimes served with this "stuff on the cob".
 
Following is another popular accompaniment:  
 These are the same ginormous "corn" kernals but toasted.  They are very much like the commercial product in the USA called "corn nuts".  The other deally in the photo is a potato slice (think home made potato chip in this case but I also was served thick slices that were cooked without oil on another occassion).  Potatoes, according to some of my heresay sources, originated in Peru.  They have dozens of varieties of potatoes in Peru and the surrounding region so I would not doubt this claim.  Luther Burbank would be impressed.
 
My wife decided that she preferred her Sea Bass cooked (it was quite tastey as well and the scallops were the best part!).
 
Finally, a very important and well matched accompaniment to ceviche is the Cusquena (espescially if the ceviche employs the use of the hot peppers! )
 
 
I will make an effort to get my Mexican ceviche recipe posted and then, once I develop and refine a recipe for Peruvian ceviche, I will post that as well.  The challenge is going to be getting the right flavor in the absence of the proper fruit.  I will probably use key limes, a touch of lemon and just a bit of orange juice and work from that baseline.  I'll keep you "posted" on my progress (pardon the pun ))
 
So, which style of ceviche is the best, you might ask; Peruvian or Mexican.  Answer is:  completely different; both great!  Both styles would easily make my "Top Twenty" of favorite foods (if I had a top twenty).
John H. - Utah
(life is too short to drink cheap wine)
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John View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote John Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 June 2010 at 22:35
By the way, here's a sneak peak at the secret to the success of my Mexican Ceviche.  The secret ingredient is Peppadew's.  If you are not familiar with Peppadew's, they are super versatile, small red pepper that is exclusively sold as a processed (deseeded and bathed in a liquid).  The pepper is sweet buy I think they are also plased in a "sweet brine" to further sweeten them up a bit.  The "sweet / hot" combination is quite nice!  They are pleasantly spicy (rather mild with great flavor) and they impart a quite noticable but unoffensive heat when used in the right proportion.
These are fantastic in salads and make a great addition to many, many foods.  I encourage you to buy some and experiment with them.  You'll be glad you did!
 
Rather than plagerize, here's a link to the Wikipedia page on Peppadews.  The wiki page sounds like an advertisement but provides some interesting info.
 
John H. - Utah
(life is too short to drink cheap wine)
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kiwi View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote kiwi Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16 June 2010 at 00:59
sounds very similar to what we call fish kokoda round here! good stuff.
kai time!
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote TasunkaWitko Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16 June 2010 at 07:00
very nice lesson on ceviche and great pictures!
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Guests Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16 June 2010 at 10:37
Excellent post and lot of truth there. Potatoes were in fact "discovered" by the Conquistadores of Peru, who brought them back to Spain. While I lived in Ecuador, that huge corn was called "choclo"...was that the name the Peruvians called it? Ceviche is very tasty and congratulations on your fortnue in having so much of it so often! Thumbs Up
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Guests Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16 June 2010 at 12:33
The Spaniards not only "discovered" the potato in Peru, but they also "borrowed" the Incan method of freeze-drying it for storage.
 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Hoser Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 27 July 2010 at 03:39
I finally made some ceviche of my own John, and thanks for the tip on the peppadews. It came out quite nicely.....a mix of bay scallops and flounder.
Go ahead...play with your food!
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