Ceviche, a dish in which very fresh uncooked seafood is quick-marinated in citrus juice, chiles and lots of raw onions, is of course about the seafood. The best ceviche comes from Peru, and as Peruvians are happy to tell you, the Peruvian coastline is home to the greatest variety of edible aquatic species in the world.
But Ceviche also yields an equally cherished by-product: leche de tigre, or tiger’s milk, which is the savory, slightly thickened liquid drawn out of the seafood by the citrus juices and salt of the ceviche.
Leche de tigre is highly prized in the Latin American world as an all-purpose elixir: a pick-me-up, a hangover cure, an ingredient in a cocktail, even, as you might guess from its name, as an aphrodisiac.
Depending upon the country, ceviche is served with a variety of sides to consume with the ceviche and to mop up the delicious leche de tigre: in Peru, it is served with fried hominy or roasted sweet potatoes, whose sweetness and starchiness balances out the vigorous acidity of the ceviche.
(My wife, who is half-Peruvian, is a fan of roasted sweet potatoes with ceviche. Don’t tell her I told you, but when we went to a Peruvian restaurant that served an excellent ceviche, but, alas, no sweet potatoes to accompany it, she brought her own, which she took out from her handbag at the table, neatly wrapped in foil.)
My halibut ceviche is hardly traditional, or even Peruvian: I like to serve it with tortilla chips and avocado, u la Mexicana, and to balance the acidity of the lime with tangerine juice and a touch of olive oil. In a Peruvian ceviche, the onions are copious and cut fairly large; I love their raw flavor, but in a small dice, which doesn’t seem to linger so much on the palate. I also like to add roasted coriander seed, whose citrusy flavor adds more dimension to the generous amount of lime juice in the recipe.
John Broening cooks at Duo and Olivea restaurants in Denver.
Halibut Ceviche
Serves 4.
Ingredients
1 pound halibut filet, cut into 1/2-inch dice
4 tablespoons finely diced red onion
2 tablespoons finely diced red pepper
1 tablespoon finely diced jalapeño pepper
1/4 cup tangerine juice
1/4 cup fresh squeezed lime juice
2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
12 cilantro leaves, finely chopped
1 teaspoon coriander seed, toasted and roughly chopped
Pinch toasted ground cumin
Few shots hot sauce
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Garnish:
1 avocado, sliced
Corn tortilla chips
Directions
In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients except for the avocado and tortilla chips. Taste for seasoning and refrigerate 10-15 minutes to allow the flavors to meld and the citrus juices to “cook” the fish.
Serve with tortilla chips and avocado on the side.
Note: Freezing the fish for about half an hour will making cutting it a little easier.
