# ISO info on Ceviche?



## jessicacarr (Aug 27, 2006)

ever heard of cooking fish in the fridge?  i heard a part of what someone on tv said about if you marinate fish in the fridge in lemon juice, that it will cook it.  do you know if i heard that correctly?  if so, do you have any recipes to offer with that cooking technique?


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## GB (Aug 27, 2006)

Sounds like you are talking about ceviche. The acid chemically "cooks" the fish. Do a google search and you will find millions of recipes. It is great stuff!


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## kitchenelf (Aug 27, 2006)

There are so many recipes out there - I would suggest looking at some to get a feel for what you would want yours to be.  You can google ceviche recipes and it is also spelled seveche by some.  I love it.  Epicurious has one with scallops - it's awesome!


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## TATTRAT (Aug 27, 2006)

I doesn't techincally "cook" the fish, but it firms the protien. Also good with conch and scallops.


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## college_cook (Aug 27, 2006)

When you cure a fish, say salmon, that cooks it as well doesn't it?


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## Andy M. (Aug 27, 2006)

Don't mistake making ceviche with actual cooking.  There is no cooking involved in marinating fish in a strong acidic marinade.

While ceviche can be delicious, you must be sure to use the best quality fish and handle it carefully as there will be no application of heat to kill off any harmful bacteria that may be present.

Curing fish in salt does not cook it either.  It's cured, the same as bacon and ham are cured.  Curing is a preservation process, not a cooking replacement.


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## ironchef (Aug 27, 2006)

college_cook said:
			
		

> When you cure a fish, say salmon, that cooks it as well doesn't it?


 
It doesn't cook it per se, but it does change the physical and chemical state of the fish to where it's not considered "raw" either.


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## YT2095 (Aug 28, 2006)

the acid denatures the protein molecules and causes them to coagulate, much in the same way heating does, it`s vital that the fish be 100% fresh though as it contains less bacteria, and  although most bacteria don`t tend to grow very well in an acid media, it can still happen.

it`s also nice to add a few sprigs of chopped Dill between layers.
rice wine vinigar can be used instead of lemon or lime juice too.


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## lyndalou (Aug 28, 2006)

The person on tv may have been Michael Chiarello. I watched him on Saturday, and he did a salmon in the fridge. It looked pretty good.


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## YT2095 (Aug 28, 2006)

Gravlax: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gravlax
is another type, I`ve never made it myself, but I have tried it and it`s rather nice!


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## jessicacarr (Aug 31, 2006)

*Yes!   it was Michael Chiarelli*

lyndalou, yes, you are right, it was him and it was on last weekend when i saw it, or at least part of it!  

thanks everyone for your input for how to look this up and advice on adding scallops and for the safety tips, too!  definately will use FRESH and proper handling techniques when handling this technique. sure dont wanna  get sick over it!


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## Michael in FtW (Aug 31, 2006)

Humm ... Michael Chiarello - last weekend .... was it perhaps his recipe for Marinated Salmon with Fennel Salad?

You can also cook a salmon in a dishwasher - the most memorable demonstration I can remember of this was done by Tim Allen on an episode of "Home Improvement".


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## jessicacarr (Aug 31, 2006)

Michael in FtW said:
			
		

> Humm ... Michael Chiarello - last weekend .... was it perhaps his recipe for Marinated Salmon with Fennel Salad?
> 
> You can also cook a salmon in a dishwasher - the most memorable demonstration I can remember of this was done by Tim Allen on an episode of "Home Improvement".


 
yes, that's the one!  thank you for the link 
LOL! i missed that episode, but it sounds like tim taylor!


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## Seven S (Sep 1, 2006)

Ceviche or Seviche is a latin american way of ¨cooking¨ fish... it originated in Peru, and happened to be a way of preserving fish from the coastlines throughout their journey into the country and up the mountains much like salting cod was preserved for long voyages... i realize all the debate on ¨cooking¨ thats going on in here, but in essence, the process that happens with the acid is akin to the heat application, in that the proteins structure in the fish are denatured and chemically altered, the flesh goes from raw translucent white to an opaque white just like when its cooked and the texture goes from yielding to firm... the peruvians and latin americans use only white fleshed fish like sea bass and grouper but more contemporary recipes are now using other fish such as tuna and salmon.... also, in peruvian restaurants serving ceviche, the marinating is done ¨a la minute¨ in essence the marinating of the fish sitting in the lime juice (they do not use yellow lemons) occurs for maybe up to ten minutes before being served, most other latin american countries leave ceviche marinating for endless hours, even days.... on safety, i do agree whole heartedly that the fish must be fresh, if you can buy the fish at the market and fillet it yourself, even better!!


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## jessicacarr (Sep 4, 2006)

there is an abundance of info from you all.  that is what is sooo great about this site, you can help and be helped...in a personable way!


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## philso (Sep 4, 2006)

since no one has proffered a recipe, here's how to make ceviche.

what you need: 
 - absolutely fresh, salt-water fish with a firm flesh.
 - limes or lemons
 - onion
 - tomato
 - cilantro
 - salt & tabasco to taste

how to make it: 
 - filet the fish, deskin,  slice thinly, and place in a bowl
 - add enough lime or lemon juice to cover, mixing thoroughly.  place in fridge for 1 or more hours
 - cut onions to not-too-large slices
 - dice tomatoes
 - chop cilantro

mix all of the above with the now cooked-looking fish, season to taste with a pinch or so of salt and tabasco. you could also use chili peppers. amounts of ingredients are variable. just eye-ball it. serve chilled. it's great on a hot day!
it should be eaten up on the same day it's made.


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## urmaniac13 (Sep 4, 2006)

YT2095 said:
			
		

> Gravlax: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gravlax
> is another type, I`ve never made it myself, but I have tried it and it`s rather nice!


 
Yes, gravlax! a wonderful Scandinavian specialty.  We discovered it when we went to Ikea last time, they had it as a special at their restaurant.  If we can find a super fresh salmon fillet, we would like to give it a try.

Here is an example of its recipe.


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## Seven S (Sep 4, 2006)

thanks for the recipe philso, please allow me to make a couple of observations:

- the addition of tomatoes in ceviche is exclusive to Mexico and is rarely used anywhere else

- the fish in ceviche is typically diced into little cubes, but i have also seen it in fine slices like you mention - peruvians have a term for this type of presentation in slices calling it "tiradito" in which they also omit the onions

- throughout most of latin america, ceviche almost always has some tyoe of chili or heat in the form of hot sauce in it, doesn't have to be too spicy

- and lastly, traditionally the preparation is always done with lime juice - in particular, "limon criollo" which is a lime that is smaller than the "persian limes" common in the u.s., these limes are similar lookking to florida's key limes in that they are perfectly round, golf ball size, have a lot of juice for their size, and have a very thin skin and rind - in latin america, the yellow "lemons" are seldomly used in any kind of preparation as the taste is very different
(on this note, cliveb and i touched on this here - http://www.discusscooking.com/forums/f76/chimichurri-sauce-tnt-7559-2.html)

every country has its own preparation and i like your recipe in that it only allows for the fish to be marinated in the citrus for an hour before serving, i have served it even with as little as 10 minutes marination - most countries call for marinating for several hours, even days which imho the lime totally overpowers the delicate fish flavor... also, always use the freshest fish possible since no heat will be applied in serving it and the taste of not-so-fresh fish is very noticeable....  another suggestion is to stick to fish with white-flesh such as sea bass and grouper


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## kitchenelf (Sep 4, 2006)

This is a favorite of mine.  I don't have squid ink pasta readily available so I just use plain pasta.  This dish is one of the best I've ever had.


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