Serves 4
Only five ingredients are needed for a good cebiche: fish, onion, lime juice, hot chili peppers, and salt. To this basic preparation, you can add anything you want, such as garlic, celery, herbs, and ginger. The possibilities are endless.
1½ pounds flounder fillets, cut in bite-size pieces
1 red onion, cut in fine slices
Juice of 10 limes
2 tablespoons ají amarillo paste
1 garlic clove, finely diced
1-inch piece celery stick, finely chopped
Salt
2 tablespoons cilantro leaves, chopped
1 sweet potato, boiled, peeled, and thickly sliced
1 giant kernel corn, boiled in water with 1 tablespoon sugar
4 lettuce leaves
1. Combine the lime juice, ají amarillo paste, garlic, celery, salt, and 1 tablespoon cilantro in a bowl.
2. In another bowl, combine the fish and onion, and wash them together. Drain and season with salt.
3. Add the lime juice mixture to the fish with 5 ice cubes to tame the acidity of the lime. Stir, taste for seasoning, and remove the ice.
4. Serve the cebiche on 4 plates and sprinkle with chopped cilantro.
5. Put a lettuce leaf on the side, and place the corn and sweet potatoes on top of it.
It’s important to start with the freshest fish available. If possible, make sure your main ingredient spent the previous night still swimming in open water. Frozen fish is a big and most definite NO when it comes to this minimalistic delicacy.