Ceviche de Corvina

By Renzo Bolivar

Ingredients
  • Leche de tigre base:
  • 1 1/6 ounces celery, coarsely chopped
  • 1 1/6 ounces onion, coarsely chopped
  • 1 small garlic clove, peeled but left whole
  • 1/3-inch piece of fresh ginger root, peeled
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 1/6 ounces cilantro stems
  • Leche de tigre whole:
  • Juice of 2 1/4 pounds of limes or about 2/3 cup of lime juice, but do not use premade or packaged lime juice; the key to a Peruvian ceviche is the freshness of the fish and the limes, freshly squeezed by hand; machines always give a bitter aftertaste of the limes
  • 4 tablespoons of the leche de tigre base
  • 1 ounce of very fresh skinless sea bass fillet
  • 7 ounces of ice cubes
  • 1 teaspoon seeded and finely chopped aji limo or pickled jalapeño pepper
  • Fine sea salt
  • Peruvian ceviche:
  • Whole leche de tigre you made
  • 14 ounces of fresh sea bass fillet
  • 1 red onion finely sliced the long way
  • 1 aji limo or jalapeño chile; this is just to add spice and garnish, as the flavor will be in the leche de tigre

Start by blending only the leche de tigre base ingredients, except for the cilantro stems, and puree in a blender. Pour in a container and add the cilantro stems and let marinate in the refrigerator for 1 hour; this is your base. Now add the ingredients listed under the whole leche de tigre into a blender, starting with the fresh squeezed - by hand - lime juice, and ensure not to press all the juice out of the lime, as the last drops are bitter. Now add the leche de tigre base that has been refrigerated for an hour, the 1 ounce of sea bass, and the ice cubes. Puree in the blender and strain the mix with a fine mesh strainer; add salt to taste, and the chile. You can also use for this part the pureed aji limo. Now cover and refrigerate for 5 minutes. Finally, cut the 14 ounces of sea bass into 1/3-inch cubes; put on a serving platter. Pour just enough of the whole leche de tigre to bathe but do not cover the fish with it. Add the sliced red onions; season with salt if needed. Add boiled and peeled sweet potato slices and boiled Peruvian corn at the end. Enjoy with a very cold beer, preferably during the daytime.