Ceviche, Seviche, Cebiche

Fish and seafood lovers hang on to your fishing rods, I have a strong feeling that this truly international appetiser is going to trend in 2012. Fresh and full of maritime flavours, Ceviche is a dish made of bite-size chunks of fish and seafood marinated in citrus (often lime) juice.

As there are as many people as there are ways of preparing Ceviche, if you fall for it, you will soon add your own version of "El Ceviche hecho en casa" to the myriad of recipes.

There is only one fast rule for a good Ceviche. As no heat is used and the "cooking" process is done by acidic reaction,  the raw ingredients have to be really fresh, apart from that "the world is your lobster." I make mine with salmon sometimes with white fish.

In Chile, the ingredients are marinated in lime and grapefruit juices. In Peru, where the dish is said to originate from, bitter oranges are used. Apart from the coastal areas of South and Central America, Ceviche is also found in the Philippines. But enough with the geography lesson.

You will have noticed that the picture is not mine, I borowed one of Michelle,  a fabulous blogger and food photograph whose work can be read and admired at Greedy Gourmet.

Here is a basic recipe Ceviche, Seviche, Cebiche recipe, spelt and pronounced differently depending where you are in the world. 

Ingredients

• 55g/2oz salmon fillet, cut in small chunks
  • Freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • 1 lime  juice or 1/2 lime and 1/2 lemon
  • a pinch of salt and a pinch of chili
  Method: Marinate the salmon dices with some pepper and the lime juice, place in the fridge for at least two hours, three if you can, the larger the chunks the longer the dish will need to marinate

• Before serving, in the food processor mix all or part of the following, you can use 4 tbsp of coriander only if it is easier.

1 tbsp fresh parsley

1 tbsp fresh coriander

 1 tbsp fresh dill

 1 tbsp fresh chives
 1 tbsp fresh chervil

add a little olive oil mix with the fish, if you can't serve straight away, leave in the fridge until ready to use.