Panamanian recipe
How to make Ceviche
Ceviche de corvina
The Pacific coast, now the whole country
Small pieces of raw white fish, most often corvina (a kind of sea bass), 'cooked' in lime or lemon juice with chopped onion, celery, coriander and peppers. It is served cold as a starter, in a cup or in small pastry shells called canastitas, with crackers on the side. Shrimp and octopus ceviche are popular too.
Ingredients
- 500 g very fresh skinless white fish, such as sea bass, that has been frozen first (see step 1)
- 250 ml fresh lime or lemon juice
- 1 red onion, very finely chopped
- 1 celery stick, very finely chopped
- A handful of fresh coriander, chopped
- Half a small hot chilli, seeded and very finely chopped (optional)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Salted crackers, to serve
Method
- The fish is not cooked with heat, so buy it from a trusted fishmonger and use fish that has been frozen first, which kills parasites. Pregnant women, young children, older people and anyone with a weak immune system should choose a cooked dish instead.
- Cut the fish into 1 cm cubes and put them in a glass or ceramic bowl.
- Add the onion, celery, chilli if using, and salt, then pour over enough lime juice to cover the fish.
- Cover and chill in the fridge for 1 to 2 hours, stirring once, until the fish turns white and firm all the way through.
- Stir in the coriander, taste for salt and serve very cold, with crackers.
Made it at home? Tick it off and it goes into your kitchen passport.
A little ají chombo, a very hot local pepper, is sometimes added to give it a kick.
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