Peruvian Ceviche with Leche de Tigre

This Peruvian Ceviche with Leche de Tigre is made with white fish, habanero pepper, red onion, ginger, garlic, and lots of lime.

It is very important for the fish to be extremely fresh for this recipe. If the fish has previously been frozen, I would not recommend making this ceviche. Research where your local fish markets are – it is worth it! For this recipe you can use Mahi Mahi, Halibut, Corvina, Sea Bass and most other white fish.

What is Peruvian Ceviche with Leche de Tigre?

Ceviche can be written in many ways. I have seen people call it cebiche, although I have always said ceviche my entire life. This dish originated in Peru although it is said that it formed from Spanish escabeche, which is a vinegar-marinated dish. By using lime juice, the white fish is essentially cooked in this process. After the fish is done cooking in the lime juice and aji amarillo, it is garnished with habanero, onion and cilantro. I absolutely love using cilantro, of course!

Ceviche is a simple dish that requires no cooking, although it is cooked by the lime and maintains freshness. It is made with entierly raw fish fillets cut into bite sized pieces, stripes or slices. The acid from the lime denatures the fish proteins int he same way cooking does, so the fish changes color, without being exposed to heat. The best choice when it comes to making ceviche is using sea bass, grouper, flounder, or even mahi mahi. There are so many variations to ceviche like a Mexican ceviche, Tuna Tartare or even a Shrimp Aguachile, but this is by far my favorite.

What if I do not like onion?

You can soak the sliced onion is cold water to take away the bitter taste. The reason you let the onion soak in water is to make it less potent. You don’t want such a strong onion for this ceviche or it will overpower it. You can omit if you strongly do not like onion, but i highly recommend. Guys, this is a super simple Peruvian ceviche that REALLY tastes amazing!

Ingredients

• Sea Bass
• Habanero pepper
• Red Onion
• Limes
• Ginger
• Garlic
• Celery
• Cilantro
• Aji Amarillo

See recipe card below for quantities.

Instructions

Rinse the fish in cold water and pat dry. Add in a large mixing bowl and season with salt.

Place the sliced onion in ice cold water. This makes the onion less potent.

Make the leche de tigre. In a separate bowl, squeeze the limes and add the garlic, celery, ahi Amarillo, and cilantro. Squeeze the cilantro with the stems and add into the bowl. Let the marinade sit for 5 minutes.

Place a strainer on top of the large bowl with the fish and pour the leche de tigre through it. Alternatively, you can just remove the contents from the leche the tigre so the juice stays in. The minute the leche de tigre juice hit the fish, the cooking magic begins!

Mix the fish and leche de tigre with a spoon and let it sit for 5 to 20 minutes. Add the habanero, onion and cilantro.

Hint: Let the leche the tigre marinate before mixing with the fish.

Substitutions

Fish: Feel free to use either sea bass, mahi mahi, halibut, or corvina for this recipe. The fish must be very fresh. I suggest going to your local fishmarket and ask which is the freshest white fish they have.

Habanero: Habanero is traditionally used for Peruvian Ceviche. It is really hot! You can always use a jalapeno pepper or serrano pepper if you can't handle the heat. Make sure to remove the seeds to make it less spicy.

Onion: I love using red onion for Peruvian ceviche, although you could use white or yellow onion.

Limes: Limes are a must for "cooking" the fish. You can also try using a variation of lemons and limes if you want.

Serve with: Peruvian ceviche is typically served on a lettuce leaf, with boiled choclo or corn, cancha corn or Andean style corn nuts, and sweet potato. 

Variations

Cooking is a great way to get creative! Feel free to modify to your liking.

• Spicy - feel free to modify the amount of aji amarillo you put in the ceviche.
• Deluxe - Use tortilla chips for serving.

See my Salmon Rice Bowl for more inspiration.

Equipment

Equipment can have a big impact on how a recipe turns out. Stone bakeware takes longer to heat up than metal pans, and also retain heat for longer, which could make the recipe more watery, or burnt on the outsides.

I love using my Caraway pots, pans and baking sheets for best quality. Get yourself a discount by clicking here!

Storage

This Peruvian Ceviche will be good in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.

These ingredients don't stand up well to freezing.

Top tip

Feel free to modify this recipe to however YOU will like it. Check out the substitutions to see how you can achieve that.

Peruvian Ceviche with Leche de Tigre

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5 from 3 reviews

• Author: Maxine Dubois
• Total Time: 30 minutes
• Yield: 4 servings 1x

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Description

This Peruvian Ceviche with Leche de Tigre is made with white fish, habanero pepper, red onion, ginger, garlic, and lots of lime. It is very important for the fish to be extremely fresh for this recipe. If the fish has previously been frozen, I would not recommend making this ceviche. Research where your local fish markets are – it is worth it! For this recipe you can use Mahi Mahi, Halibut, Corvina, Sea Bass and most other white fish.

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 pound of very fresh Mahi Mahi, Halibut, Corvina or Sea Bass
• 1 Habanero Peppers, minced
• ¼ red onion, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
• Salt

Leche de Tigre

• 6 limes
• 1 chunk crushed ginger
• 2 cloves garlic, smashed
• ½ celery stalk, smashed
• ¼ cup of cilantro, with stems
• 1 tablespoon ahi amarillo paste (optional)

Garnish:

• Boiled Sweet Potato or Yuca
• Boiled Corn

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Instructions

1. Rinse the fish in cold water and pat dry. Add in a large mixing bowl and season with salt.
2. Place the sliced onion in ice cold water. This makes the onion less potent.
3. Make the leche de tigre. In a separate bowl, squeeze the limes and add the garlic, celery, ahi Amarillo, and cilantro. Squeeze the cilantro with the stems and add into the bowl. Let the marinade sit for 5 minutes.
4. Place a strainer on top of the large bowl with the fish and pour the leche de tigre through it. Alternatively, you can just remove the contents from the leche the tigre so the juice stays in. The minute the leche de tigre juice hit the fish, the cooking magic begins!
5. Mix the fish and leche de tigre with a spoon and let it sit for 5-20 minutes. Add the habanero, onion and cilantro.
6. Garnish with sweet potato or yuca and corn. Serve with chips and beer!

Notes

• The reason you let the onion soak in water is to make it less potent. You don’t want such a strong onion for this ceviche or it will overpower it.
• If there are skin and bones on the fish, remove. 

• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 20 minutes
• Category: Dinner
• Method: Curing
• Cuisine: Peruvian

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1
• Calories: 154.5
• Sugar: 3.1 g
• Sodium: 356.3 mg
• Fat: 3.7 g
• Saturated Fat: 0.4 g
• Carbohydrates: 18.2 g
• Fiber: 4.1 g
• Protein: 17.3 g
• Cholesterol: 77.5 mg