Salmon Ceviche

Depending where you are in the world, your bowl (or

martini glass, or… goblet) of ceviche will look very different.

If you’re in Peru (thought by many to be the birthplace of ceviche), you’ll find boiled corn, sweet potato, and corn nuts accompanying your dish. Elsewhere in South America you might find popcorn, fried green plantain (patacones), and plantain chips (chifle) on the side. In Mexico, tostadas, or fried corn tortillas, are commonly used.

For this rather unorthodox ceviche, we borrowed techniques and ingredients from all over the world, from Japan to Mexico. Read on to learn how all these elements come together.

The Fish

When it comes to fish, quality really matters when making ceviche. All the other ingredients — the mix-ins, the marinade — exist to enhance and compliment the flavor of the fish. No opportunity to mask unsavory smells or textures here! Because we know high-quality white fish commonly used in ceviches can be hard to find in the states, we went with something that wasn’t: salmon. But not traditional doesn’t mean it’s not delicious! If you’ve eaten salmon raw before you know it’s insanely smooth and decadent. If you do your research (or chat with your fishmonger) to find a high quality salmon, you will be rewarded with some seriously delicious ceviche. We say: worth it!

The Mix-Ins

We kept things *mostly* true to Peruvian-style ceviche for the mix-ins, with crunchy red onions, fresh cilantro, and a finely chopped hot pepper. Traditionally lemon drop peppers (AKA aji lemon peppers) are used to bring the heat, along with some tropical citrus flavor. Since those can be tricky to find, I’d suggest a serrano, jalapeño, or scotch bonnet pepper as a replacement. Always taste a small bit of pepper before adding it to your ceviche; all peppers are a little bit different. Remember: you can always add more spice, but it’s very hard to tone it down once you’ve added too much.

We did borrow one thing from Mexican-style ceviche: avocado. We love a little added creaminess, but feel free to leave it out.

The Marinade

Borrowing again from Peru, we’re making a blended ceviche marinade, often known as leche de tigre*. Citrus juice, garlic, ginger, cilantro stems, red onion, and fish scraps take a spin in the blender, before being strained and added to our fish. This flavorful, magical marinade is all Peruvian, though there may be an ingredient that surprises you: ginger!

Take a look at Peru’s history and you’ll see why. In the early 1800s, Japanese immigrants began arriving in Peru, bringing ingredients and cooking methods with them. In this recipe, we see Japanese influence not only in the ingredients, but in the technique. Before Japanese immigration, Peruvians were marinating their ceviche for hours.  The Japanese immigrants taught Peruvians to appreciate fish in a more “lightly cooked” form, via marination that takes minutes (if not seconds) to complete, forever changing the preparation of one of the country’s most beloved dishes. Today, Japanese-Peruvians have created a cuisine all their own, called Nikkei.

Serving

As mentioned above, there are so many delicious accompaniments for ceviche. We drew inspiration from Mexico and went with fried corn tortillas — ours just happen to come out of a bag. 😅 No matter what you eat it with, we promise it’ll be delicious. Happy marinating!

Wondering why it’s called tiger’s milk? In Peru, some people believe taking a “shot” of the marinade left in the bottom of your bowl can cure a hangover, and that the sour-spicy sip elicits a tiger-like roar from the drinker. Others claim it’s an aphrodisiac, and can make you a “tiger” in the bedroom. 😂

Ingredients

• Step 1

  Cut fish into ½-inch cubes and place in a large glass bowl, reserving any oddly shaped, fatty, or dark pieces of fish for the tiger’s milk. Season cubed fish with salt. Refrigerate while you prepare the onions and tiger’s milk.

• Step 2Prepare onions: cut ½ onion in half, then thinly slice 1 half and place slices in a medium bowl. Add sliced pepper and cilantro to bowl with onions.
• Step 3Make tiger’s milk: into a blender or food processor, combine reserved salmon (if using), remaining quarter red onion, lime juice, orange juice, garlic cloves, ginger, and cilantro stems. Pulse mixture 10 times in rapid succession, until solids are broken down but not completely pureed. (Alternatively, combine all ingredients in a bowl and let sit for 10 to 30 minutes.)
• Step 4Assemble ceviche: cut ½ avocado into small ¼” cubes and add to bowl of salmon, along with onions, peppers, and cilantro. Strain tiger’s milk over salmon and stir to combine.
• Step 5Let ceviche marinate for 10 minutes, then serve with corn chips. It is best to eat freshly made ceviche within the hour it is prepared, to avoid fish that is “overcooked” and soft.