Marina Hofmann, cevi­che is curr­ent­ly on ever­yo­ne’s lips. What exact­ly is it?
Yes, Peruvian cui­sine is tren­ding. And cevi­che ori­gi­na­tes from the­re; it is even con­side­red a natio­nal dish. The term cevi­che does not refer to a sin­gle dish, but gene­ral­ly to the method of pre­pa­ring raw fish, which is coo­ked by adding acid – wit­hout being heated. 

Which acid is used?
Mostly citrus juice. This leads to a pro­cess cal­led dena­tu­ra­ti­on of the pro­te­in. A pro­cess in which the struc­tu­re of the pro­te­ins in the fish chan­ges and the fle­sh turns white. 

So, it is important to use very fresh fish?
Absolutely. Preferably fresh­ly caught. 

And if it is alre­a­dy in the dis­play counter?
Then the fle­sh should be slight­ly trans­pa­rent, the fish’s eyes clear and moist, and the gills bright red.

Which fish are sui­ta­ble for ceviche?
Actually, any. There are only a few varie­ties that are a bit too fat­ty – like macke­rel or sar­di­nes. But semi-firm, white fish such as sea bass, sea bream, cod, sole, or even floun­der are ide­al. Tuna and sal­mon also work, but should not be left in the acid for too long, as the color of the fle­sh chan­ges during the coo­king process. 

What about freshwa­ter fish?
Pike-perch and perch are curr­ent­ly very popu­lar as cevi­che. It’s not for me; I per­so­nal­ly find salt­wa­ter fish more sui­ta­ble for it. 

And cru­stace­ans?
They are also often con­su­med as ceviche.

The ulti­ma­te cevi­che recipe?
Of cour­se, every hou­se­wi­fe in Latin America has her own reci­pe. But the clas­sic Peruvian style con­sists of white fish mari­na­ted in lime juice for 15 minu­tes and then ser­ved with gar­lic, red oni­ons, and cilantro. 

How much acid does the fish need?
Finding the right dosa­ge is not easy. Because with too litt­le acid, the fish does not cook com­ple­te­ly. With too much, it beco­mes sour. My tip: For 450 g of fish, use 120 ml of natu­ral citric acid. Place ever­ything in a bowl – not a metal one! – and cover with the juice. 

For how long?
Similar to a beef fil­let, the donen­ess of fish can be deter­mi­ned. Whether it is raw or well-done can be reco­gni­zed by the tex­tu­re tur­ning white. After two to ten minu­tes, the fish beco­mes whiter on the out­side, but is still com­ple­te­ly raw inside. 

Your spe­cial tip?
Instead of lime, oran­ge, or lemon juice, use the juice of other fruits. Passion fruit adds an exo­tic, sweet note, and coco­nut milk pro­vi­des a subt­le sweet­ness. Celery stalks or vege­ta­ble oni­ons pair par­ti­cu­lar­ly well with mild fish. Peppermint gives an extra kick of fresh­ness, and soy sau­ce adds a spe­cial seasoning.