The soul of the Peruvian Ceviche is the “leche de tigre” or “tiger’s milk” which is the lime juice in which we cook the fish in. It’s tasty, refreshing and a great way to start any lunch.
Years ago Peruvians would do ceviche and let it rest overnight in sour orange so the fish cooked through. Then this changed to lime and with the huge Japanese influence in Peruvian cuisine we now like it borderline sashimi. Mix the fish with the leche de tigre and serve immediately.
As you will see on the tiger’s milk recipe there’s no actual milk in it. The milky looks comes from the fish trimmings that are cooked in the lime. Their protein turns white and milky. This time I used red onion for the tiger’s milk which makes a pinkish result, but you can also use brown onion for an all-white result.
In a ceviche it’s really important to have fresh fish, so frozen is a big, big no-no. Get whatever white / pinkish fleshed fish you can find. Also remember that fish need to grow so they can reproduce so avoid buying small fish.
Peruvian Ceviche
Ingredients
For the ceviche
- 1 kg white fish filet sole, sea bass, grouper or any firm white / pinkish fish
- to taste chopped chili
- to taste salt and pepper
- 1/2 red onion sliced
For the tiger's milk
- 40 g trimmings from fish filets
- 30 g red or brown onion (red gives a pinkish tiger's milk and brown makes it white)
- 2 garlic cloves
- to taste chili
- 30 g celery
- 30 g ginger peeled
- to taste salt and sugar
- 500 ml lime juice only squeeze while the juice comes out easily. If you squeeze further you'll get the bitterness from the skin and pith
- 1 sprig coriander (I didn't add it because I don't like it)
Instructions
For the ceviche
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Let the onion rest for 15min in water and salt to soften its flavour. Rinse and repeat 3 times.
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Cut the fish in 2.5-3cm cubes. Any pieces that are too thin and might overcook go to the tiger's milk.
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Mix the fish with the chili, onion, salt and pepper and let rest while we make the tiger's milk.
For the tiger's milk
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Squeeze the limes as close as you can to the moment of serving so they don't go bitter and keep them with an ice cube as you're squeezing them. Remove the ice cube for blending.
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Put everything in the blender and pulse 3-6 times or until you see everything's now in small chunks.
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Pass through a sieve and press down to really get all the juices.
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Taste the tiger's milk and adjust the level of salt and also if it's too sour add sugar. You should be able to drink it and enjoy it on its own even without the fish.
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Mix the tiger's milk with the fish and other ingredients and serve immediately.
