It is raw fish. Macerating in lime juice (or vinegar or anything similarly acidic) does NOT result in cooking the fish. The texture of the fish flesh changes when soaked in lime juice, yes, but it stays raw. To avoid health risks, choose the freshest fish available and serve the ceviche immediately.
Ceviche is associated with Peru where it is believed to have originated over 2,000 years ago. Of course, there are contrarians who claim that the technique of curing raw fish with citrus juice was introduced by the Spanish colonizers who, in turn, adapted it from their Moorish conquerors.
Whichever is the more accurate historical account, one thing is beyond debate — there is no singular way to make ceviche. Variants developed as the dish spread to other Spanish colonies in Latin America and even as far as the Philippines in Southeast Asia. The choice of fish and what else go into the dish is largely influenced by the produce of each region.
Why add mangoes? If you haven’t discovered it yet, anything sweet mellows down the heat of chilies. Still and all, if you’d rather tone down the heat, there are two ways to do it. First, by reducing the amount of chilies or, second, by scraping off and discarding the seeds of the chilies before tossing with the fish.
Ingredients
- 300 to 400 grams salmon fillet skinless
- juice of four limes divided
- 2 teaspoons salt divided
- 3 to 4 bird's eye chilies
- 1 large red onion
- 1 large ripe mango
- 1 to 2 tablespoons chopped dill
- 1 to 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
Instructions
- Rinse the salmon fillet well and dry with paper towels.
- Slice the fish thinly.
- Place the sliced salmon in a non-reactive bowl (not aluminum), pour in half of the lime juice and add half of the salt, and toss well.
- Thinly slice the chilies (discard the seeds for less heat).
- Peel, halve and thinly slice the red onion.
- Cut the mango, discard the stone, and thinly slice the flesh.
- Squeeze the salmon to remove the liquid.
- Transfer the salmon to a clean bowl, pour in the remaining lime juice, add the remaining salt and toss well.
- Add the rest of the ingredients and toss thoughly.
- Serve the salmon ceviche immediately.
