Rachael Ray

For me, summertime is synonymous with Ceviche. Maybe it’s the delicious lime bite, or the freshness of the veggies, or that it’s served cool with an awakening burst of spice. Anyway you slice it (no pun intended), Ceviche is the perfect thing to combat August heat.

Ceviche is a Latin American staple. Just about every Latino culture produces a version of this delicious dish. Basically, Ceviche is seafood marinated in a citrus-based mixture, usually made up of lemons and limes. In addition to adding flavor, the citric acid causes the proteins in the seafood to become denatured, which pickles or “cooks” the fish without heat. Traditional-style Ceviche is marinated up to 3 hours. Modern-style Ceviche usually has a very short marinating period. With the appropriate fish, Ceviche can marinate completely in the time it  takes to mix the ingredients, carry it to the table, and serve.

When I wanted to get the easiest and most delicious Ceviche recipe, I headed to my Peruana friend Nelly Godfrey, owner of Lima’s Taste restaurant in the West Village of NYC, to get the real deal.

Here’s a look at how she creates her famous Ceviche Mixta (or Ceviche with mixed Seafood)

Ceviche! from rachaelray.com on Vimeo.

Here is Nelly’s recipe!

Prep Time: 1 hour and 30 min
Cook Time: 0 minutes – but an hour to marinate

Ingredients:

- 1 1/2 pound white saltwater fish (albacore, sole, snapper, halibut — anything you would see on a sushi menu)

- 1 cup lime juice - key limes if you can get them

- 1 cup lemon juice

- 1 Teaspoon salt

Article continues below...

- 1 Celery stem

- 1 garlic clove

- 1 rocoto chile (chile manzano in Mexican markets) or 2 Aji limon (substitute a habañero pepper)

- 1 medium onion, sliced very thinly into half-moons

- 4 Teaspoons chopped cilantro

Preparation:

Cut the fish into small pieces- You can dice it or leave it in pieces up to one inch square, but remember that the larger the pieces the longer it will take to marinate.

Salt the fish, then cover with the citrus juice in a non-reactive (glass or plastic) container with a lid. Add the sliced onions and the chiles.

Chill in the fridge for one hour. If your fish is truly raw-eating quality, it is OK if the centers of the pieces are still raw-looking.

For the sauce:

Blend 1/2 cup of the fish with one garlic clove, one celery stem, the habañeros peppers and some water.

To serve, lay down some of the onions and chiles, top with the marinated fish, and pour the sauce. Garnish with the cilantro.

Nelly serves this with a piece of baked sweet potato peeled and chilled. The combination of the sweet and spicy is just delicious!