Ceviche Crocante

Ceviche with Crispy Fried Calamari & Ají Amarillo Tiger’s Milk

If you go to a cevicheria (sometimes spelled cebicheria) in Peru, you’ll see the locals ordering jalea mixta, a platter of fried mixed seafood, with their ceviche. You take a bite of one and then a bite of the other. The tangy, raw seafood and the hot, crunchy, fried seafood are perfect together. This ceviche is my version of both of those dishes in one.

Ask for whole baby squid tentacles or the tentacles from bigger squid at your seafood market. When fried, the tentacles curl up and become extra crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. If you can’t find them, the presliced rings from the squid bodies also work. The potato starch in the batter keeps them on the lighter side, so don’t expect these squid to get as dark as some fried seafood.

• Canola or other vegetable oil, for frying
• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• ½ cup potato starch or cornstarch
• ¾ teaspoon kosher salt, or more as needed
• ¾ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 large egg
• 1 tablespoon milk or water
• 6 ounces squid tentacles, cut into 2 or 3 pieces if large, or whole calamari bodies, cut into ¼-inch rings, or a mix of both (about 1 cup)
• ½ medium red onion, heart removed (use it to make Leche de Tigre, page 78)
• 1 pound firm white-fleshed fish such as corvina, striped bass, yellowtail, paiche, or halibut, cut into generous 1½-inch cubes (about 2 cups) and well chilled
• About 1 cup Ají Amarillo Leche de Tigre (page 78), well chilled
• Pureed garlic (page 37), as desired
• ¼ bunch fresh cilantro, roughly chopped, a small handful of roughly chopped celery leaves, or a small handful of micro greens

1 In a medium, deep saucepan, heat 2½ to 3 inches of oil over medium-high heat until it registers 350°F on a deep-fry thermometer, or fill a deep-fryer with the recommended amount of oil and set the temperature to 350°F.

2 Mix together the flour, potato starch, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. (Use a bowl large enough so the calamari doesn’t stick together when you bread it.) Crack the egg into a small bowl and whisk it with the milk. Toss the calamari first in the egg mixture, shake off the excess, and then in the flour mixture. Leave the calamari in the bowl with the flour.

3 Use a frying thermometer, or sprinkle a little flour in the oil to test the temperature. The flour should bubble nicely (if the oil smokes or the bubbles foam up, reduce the heat). When the oil is hot, toss the calamari around in the flour mixture one more time so all the sides are well coated. Use your fingers to separate the calamari tentacles and rings into individual pieces. Fry the calamari in two or three batches, depending on the size of your pot, until the crust is light golden brown and the bubbles in the frying pot slow down and become noticeably smaller, 2½ to 3 minutes. Transfer the fried calamari to a paper towel–lined plate and season with salt. If there is a lot of extra batter in the pot after your first batch, use a skimmer to fish some of it out between batches.

4 While the calamari is frying, slice the onion “a la pluma” (see page 45) and set aside. Combine the fish and leche de tigre in a medium bowl. Use your fingers to gently toss the fish in the sauce until well coated, then add the onion and toss again. Be careful not to break up the pieces of fish. Taste the ceviche and adjust the seasonings, if needed, by tossing the fish with more salt and a little pureed garlic, depending on what you like. Make it your own.

5 Spoon the fish mixture and leche de tigre sauce into the center of each of four wide, shallow serving bowls and sprinkle the cilantro on top. Put the calamari in a medium bowl to pass at the table. Serve inmediatamente.