by Elise Bauer

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Ceviche

Name: Ceviche
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 3 h 15 min
Yield: Serves 4-8
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 2 pounds firm, fresh red snapper fillets (or other firm-fleshed fish), cut into 1/2 inch pieces, completely deboned; 1/2 cup fresh squeezed lime juice; 1/2 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice; 1/2 red onion, finely diced; 1 cup chopped fresh seeded tomatoes; 1 serrano chili, seeded and finely diced; 2 teaspoons salt; Dash ground oregano; Dash Tabasco or a light pinch of cayenne pepper; Cilantro; Avocado; Tortillas or tortilla chips

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Here's how to make classic ceviche (or seviche) using the traditional Latin American method to prepare fresh fish. Cubes of red snapper are cooked by lime and lemon juice. Serve this delicious ceviche wrapped in corn tortillas or with chips.

How to Make Ceviche with fish, onions, tomatoes, and chili

Photography Credit: Elise Bauer

The first time I made ceviche, I was amazed. I could actually see the lemon and lime juice turning the color of the fish from translucent pink to opaque white.

The acid from the limes and lemons change the structure of the proteins in the fish, essentially “cooking” the fish without using heat.

I love ceviche rolled up in a freshly cooked, still warm corn tortilla with lettuce and salsa.

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Ceviche Recipe

Prep time: 15 minutes
Marinating time: 3 hours
Yield: Serves 4-8

Always use the freshest fish possible. Make the same day you purchase fresh fish.

Ingredients

2 pounds firm, fresh red snapper fillets (or other firm-fleshed fish), cut into 1/2 inch pieces, completely deboned
1/2 cup fresh squeezed lime juice
1/2 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
1/2 red onion, finely diced
1 cup chopped fresh seeded tomatoes
1 serrano chili, seeded and finely diced
2 teaspoons salt
Dash ground oregano
Dash Tabasco or a light pinch of cayenne pepper

To serve:

Cilantro
Avocado
Tortillas or tortilla chips

Method

1 Assemble the ceviche: In a non-reactive casserole dish, either Pyrex or ceramic, place the fish, onion, tomatoes, chili, salt, Tabasco, and oregano. Cover with lime and lemon juice. Cover casserole dish with plastic-wrap.

2 Stir after one hour, then marinate several more hours: Let sit covered in the refrigerator for an hour, then stir, making sure more of the fish gets exposed to the acidic lime and lemon juices. Let sit for several more hours, giving time for the flavors to blend.

During the marinating process, the fish will change from pinkish grey and translucent to whiter in color and opaque.

3 Serve: Serve with chopped cilantro and slices of avocado with heated tortillas for ceviche tacos or with tortilla chips.

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Elise Bauer

Elise Bauer is the founder of Simply Recipes. Elise launched Simply Recipes in 2003 as a way to keep track of her family's recipes, and along the way grew it into one of the most popular cooking websites in the world. Elise is dedicated to helping home cooks be successful in the kitchen. Elise is a graduate of Stanford University, and lives in Sacramento, California.

90 Comments / Reviews

Ceviche Cancel reply

jackie

Jim, bottled juice is fine, use more than your recipe requires, add some extra salt also for the cooking and flavor, you will be happy with results!
- August 29, 2020
- · Reply
Jim

Due to Covid and other distribution problems, my local grocer has no fresh limes or lemons in stock but I have a bucket of fresh shrimp. Can I use bottled lime and lemon juices as an alternative to freshly squeezed?
- August 10, 2020
- · Reply
Show Replies (1)
- Sara Bir
  
  Hi Jim,
  
  Hmm, that’s a good question. From a safety standpoint, yes–bottled lemon and lime juice will “cook” the fish just like fresh juice. However, from a flavor standpoint, I don’t think it’s a good idea. This dish is so very simple, and relies on fresh flavors and the freshest of ingredients. I know it’s a bummer, but we’d hate for you to make this and be underwhelmed. You will be able to make ceviche another day. Gives you something to look forward to!
  - August 10, 2020
  - · Reply
joo hye tincher

Yum Yum :)

xxxxxyyyyy
- June 10, 2020
- · Reply
Erin

Love this recipe but I tweaked it by adding mango and honey. I also used fake crab and served it in quinoa …. very yummy!!! I like using this recipe as a base and incorporating it into whatever I have in the cupboard
- April 3, 2020
- · Reply
Tina

I used a mix of ahi tuna and wild caught shelled and deveined shrimp. I also only had jalapeños on hand, so I used that instead. Really good. I served it over arugula and had bought some real bread from a French shop nearby and soaked up the juices with it. And I had a glass of rose wine with it. It was yummy.

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- · Reply

Marilyn

Loved this recipe but wondered if the fish should have been skinned. I think my pieces were larger than the recipe called for.

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- · Reply
- Elise Bauer
  
  Hi Marilyn, yes, typically the fish fillets we buy are skinned. I do think that would work better than skin on.
  - · Reply
Reed

First rate Ceviche recipe. I enjoy adding additionally, pineapple and cucumber for a little sweetness and crunch. Eat well!

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- · Reply
Brian

My go to dinner on a hot summer night.
- · Reply
graham

why do the pictures have peppers and red onions and the recipe does not include this
- · Reply
- Elise Bauer
  
  Hi Graham, those tomatoes do look like red peppers, don’t they? They are tomatoes. As for red onions, the recipe clearly calls for red onions.
  - · Reply
Jules

Has become a staple but now add coconut milk and fish sauce

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- · Reply
Jessica

I love this recipe! I have made it a dozen times and usually use halibut. I use small cherry tomatoes that I cut in fourths and also add a half of an English cucumber.

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- · Reply
Brian G

I love this recipe. I have never used red snapper as it’s not commonly carried where I shop. I have used tilapia everytime and it turns out great. I make sure to let the ceviche sit in the fridge overnight to make sure the fish is ready to eat. I have lived in Ecuador where real ceviche is made. This recipe is spot on and tastes exactly like the kind I had in Ecuador.

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- · Reply
- Zos
  
  Yeh I wouldnt use tilapia in ceviche ever! gross. its a dirty freshwater river fish farmed in filth in SE asia.
  - · Reply
Frank

I live in Kansas, no fresh seafood here.
How well would fresh – catfish, perch, bluegill, bass do in ceviche?
- · Reply
- Elise Bauer
  
  Hi Frank, from what I understand, one should never eat freshwater fish raw because of parasites.
  - · Reply
  - Chris
    
    I would get some fresh frozen shrimp
    · Reply
- MUSHU
  
  You can get away with using frozen tilapia. Just thaw it out first. It’s not ideal but, I’ve done it before in a pinch. May be a little bit on the mushier side, albeit.
  - · Reply
  - Shu
    
    Tilapia is such a bland murky tasting fish though. No good ceviche recipe deserves to be cursed with tilapia.
    · Reply
Janet Campbell

Me encantan estas recetas, es la primera vez que hice el Ceviche y me encanto la receta es bien simple y quisiera saber que otro pezcado usaria…
- · Reply
Naomi

I made this for the first time for my mother’s 75th birthday dinner last week. I made this exactly as directed by the recipe. It was incredible! I used fresh red snapper and let it “cook” for 3 hours. I can’t wait to make it again!

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- · Reply
Sturno

I use walleye filets caught here in WI for most of my recipes that require fish. It won’t hold up as well as a firm ocean fish will, so I add it at the very tail end of preparation in this or even in things like the “Canadian Gumbo” recipe that I get asked for often. Ceviche is one of my favorite things on earth. I’ve added fresh chopped calamari rings with the fish. I’ve prepared it probably a dozen different ways, with some fine tuning, and found that adding minimal amounts of orange juice, lemon juice, and even grapefruit juice to the lime juice helps tune the flavors up. I use more cilantro than most recipes call for, also adding some at the end before serving in addition to prep. I use poblano peppers from the Mexican grocery store in town, in lieu of jalapenos. They key thing for me and my experience is to have your ingredients in the smallest dices (not minced) as you can. Pieces of anything too big in ceviche I think become a drawback to it overall. Trying both fish and shrimp versions, I’ve also tried using crab and also imitation crab (I know…) Interestingly enough, the surimi holds up much better than real crab for this purpose…..thank all of the modified food starches for that. I also add my avocado at the end…it stays more firm and doesn’t turn into guac mush that way. My wife will take what’s left and mix with fresh guac on occasion also. It doesn’t take long for too many ingredients to join the party, so I stick to as few as possible and will make two or three types rather than tossing 20 components together. Bottled lime juice? Only if you’re an astronaut.
- · Reply
Dan Blick

“Always use the freshest fish possible.”

So true! I’ve made this recipe a couple times lately with fresh-off-the-boat lingcod, and it’s spectacular! The fish is the star of the show, so if you go with some farm-raised tilapia that’s several days old, you’ll be disappointed for sure. If it’s old enough to smell like fish, don’t waste your time.

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- · Reply
Alejandro

Hello Elise,
I found your blog while looking for a meatloaf recipe, to offer my family during a party next week, I liked your recipe so much that I began to read other recipes, that is how I found your ceviche recipe.

Ceviche, is not a recipe, is a concept that is present all around the shores of the pacific ocean, the basic idea consists in “cooking” fresh fish using some form of natural acid (basically lemon/lime/orange or other fruits juice), it has been part of the peruvian menu even before Peru existed. Depending on where you eat your ceviche you will find more or less ingredients and depending on how fresh your fish is and how firm its meat it will take you 30 seconds or 3 hours to prepare it.

I, as a peruvian, am used to my country’s style, only 5 ingredients: fish, salt, lime juice, purple onion and chili. After that you can add slices of sweet potato, corn, lettuce and a few others as garnish.

Some tips: ALWAYS use the freshest fish you can afford, avoid greasy fishes, and preferably from cold waters as they tend to have firmer meat. Pay close attention to fish meat temperature, always keep it on ice, (but never frozen!) until used. When squeezing your limes use only the first drops as after that the drops will include the sour flavor from the skin. Cut the onion on very thin vertical slices.

We in Peru use not more than 1-2 minutes to “cook” the fish

If you like avocado, rice, tortillas or anything else, just go ahead, when it comes to food preferences no one owns the truth.
- · Reply
- Vicki
  
  Alejandro-
  Please tell me what type of chili is used in the Peruvian version of ceviche?
  - · Reply
  - nkyene
    
    rocotto chilies are used in Peru. They are typically red with black seeds. They sometimes use seaweed as a garnish. They always use sweet potato, potato, and Boston(butter)lettuce as part of the garnish as well as the Peruvian sweet corn that has incredibly large kernels. I have been to Peru several times with my wife(she is from Peru) and my family. This is my favorite dish of all times.
    · Reply
  - Alejandro
    
    Hello Vicki,
    As Nkyene says, rocoto chili is used in ceviche but only a slice of it and as a garnish. There are dozens of chili varieties in Peru but I would say the preferred one, when it comes to ceviche, is the “Aji Limo” (Capsicum Chinense Jacquin) this variety is a small one, very hot yet flavorfull (at least to peruvian palates) and with a lime-like smell. To prepare ceviche you must use a very cold stainless steel bowl to help keep the fish fresh and first of all you cut an aji limo by half and rub it against the bottom of the bowl, this will add flavor to your recipe. When touching chili please do not forget to rinse your hands on running water to clean your skin from its very hot juices/oils. Do nor touch your eyes, Please!
    · Reply
- Lyd
  
  Alejandro, as I understand it from a friend with Peruvian chef husband living in Europe, he refuses to make ceviche here as the lime in Peru is much more acidic – that’s why you only need minutes compared to other places, where you would need hours. So there are also differences in ingredients
  - · Reply
  - Alejandro
    
    Hello Lyd,
    I would never dare to discuss with a professional chef living in Europe but, at the same time, in the last few years, several peruvian restaurants have opened in Europe, some of them awarded even with a Michelin star. All these restaurants have ceviche on their menus. Perhaps they know something your friend´s husband is missing.
    · Reply
Eric Moroney

Hi to everybody from Dalkey, Ireland. Ceviche is one of my favourites. From my Chilean wife I learned to blanch the onion (red or white) first. After chopping it, place it in a sieve and pour a jug of boiling water over it followed, immediately, by a jug of cold water. This removes the unpleasant (for me, at least) taste of raw onion. Once blanched, add to the dish. In ireland I use lemon sole cut into pieces and wild scallops for ceviche. But, now, having read the blog and comments, i will experiment with different fish.
- · Reply
- Elise Bauer
  
  Hi Eric, thanks for the tip!
  - · Reply
Spencer

I use powdered 100% lime uice, it’s handy when needed. If you do a search for it make sure it is the 100% pure, no other indredients added, lime juice which I buy by the pound. Delicious.
- · Reply

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Ceviche

Here's how to make classic ceviche (or seviche) using the traditional Latin American method to prepare fresh fish. Cubes of red snapper are cooked by lime and lemon juice. Serve this delicious ceviche wrapped in corn tortillas or with chips.

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