Easy Classic Ceviche Recipe

Classic Ceviche Recipe Ingredients

For our favorite style, we like lime flavor to stand out, but balance that with a little orange juice so it’s not too bitter or acidic.

• Fish – In this recipe we use rockfish which is a mild white fish with good texture. Tilapia, bass, flounder, or halibut are also a good option.
• Citrus – Lime and orange are the backbone to this dish, adding the necessary acid to properly “cook” the fish.
• Savory – Onion and jalapeño pepper add texture with a slight crunch, as well as flavoring the marinade. The mild heat from the jalapeño (seeds and ribs removed) also gives a nice flavor.
• Freshness – Tomatoes, creamy avocado, and fresh cilantro brighten the flavors and add a nice balance.
• Salt – A good kosher salt will bind the flavors together.

Some additional ingredient variations include hot chili peppers (or any of your favorite spicy peppers), hot sauce, or even bell pepper (red or yellow).

Fish Options

We like almost any fresh white fish for a ceviche recipe — we find the best fish is mahi mahi, rockfish, bass, tuna, and (cooked) shrimp. We just highly recommend getting the best quality and freshest fish you can find! The general rule, is that if you typically see it raw at a sushi bar, it can make for some great ceviche.

A good ceviche recipe will only be as good as the freshness and quality of the fish. So mention to your fishmonger that you’re making ceviche, and get his/her recommendation on what will be best that day for that purpose.

For this classic ceviche we used rockfish because that was the best fresh seafood option at the fish monger.

How Is Ceviche Traditionally Made?

Classic ceviche is raw fish (or shellfish) cooked in an acidic marinade (most often citrus). The acid essentially “cooks” the fish without any heat. As the fish sits in the citrus the acid penetrates the meat and breaks down the proteins giving it that cooked look and texture like you would get from actually cooking it with heat.

Chef’s Note: The acid does not actually “cook” the fish. The citric acid causes the fish to denature and harden up and turn opaque similar to cooking it.

Peruvian Ceviche is often the inspiration for many recipes while you can also find different ways it’s prepared throughout Latin America and the world. Various types of ceviche recipes have been adopted regionally all over the world from Mexico to Spain. So, depending on your influence, it can take on a lot of flavor variations from spicy to sweet, simple to complex. 

Preparation

The most important part of preparing ceviche is to de-bone the fish. If there are pin bones, remove them. Using a sharp boning knife, cut the fish into small pieces resembling small squares. The smaller dice will allow the fish to cook faster without getting gummy in texture.

For the onions, be sure they are very thinly sliced. If they are too thick the onion will overpower the dish.

For less heat, remove the seeds and ribs from the jalapeño. The seeds don’t have great texture.

How to Make Classic Ceviche

1. Add cubed fish into a bowl. Squeeze the limes and orange into the bowl with the fish and stir. Add the onion, tomatoes, jalapeño, and salt, and then stir again to combine.
2. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator to marinate. The citrus will start to cook the fish. After 60 minutes, stir the mixture again and cover. Place back in the refrigerator covered another 60 minutes.
3. After 2 hours remove the fish and add the avocado and cilantro. Stir to combine.
4. Portion among four martini or similar serving glasses with your favorite corn chips. Bonus if you prewarm the corn chips in the oven.

Variations

You can also marinate just the fish in the citrus, then when it’s done drain it to stop it from continuing to cook. Discard the ceviche marinade.

Then just before you serve, add the other ingredients and a few squeezes of fresh lime for flavor and toss together. The benefit of this method is less acidic flavors in the additional ingredients.

Ceviche Garnish: We like to add a thinly sliced lime slice. Or add a grilled lemon or micro greens for a fun garnish.

Wine Pairing for Classic Ceviche

Ceviche is a highly acidic dish, so you’re going to want a wine that can stand up to that acid otherwise the dish will make the wine taste flat and sweet.

My go-to is Sauvignon Blanc for this, because they tend to have a lot of similar flavors as the dish (herbal, bright citrus) and have high acidity to match the dish. For region I’d focus on California (or some of the rare Oregon Sauvignon Blancs if you can find them) or those found in Chile. Or if you want something bold you can go with a New Zealand Sauv Blanc, where you’ll find some of the most intense versions.

Alternatively I’ve had ceviche with Albariño and Dry Riesling with success as well.

Frequently Asked Questions