Fresh white fish 'cooked' in lime juice — acid does what heat can't, turning translucent flesh opaque and firm in about 15 minutes. Aji amarillo, red onion, and cilantro. No heat required, just patience and genuinely good fish.←Back to Taco Base Recipes
1 lb fresh white fish (halibut, sea bass, or snapper), diced 1/2 in (1.3 cm)
0.75 cup fresh lime juice
1.5 tbsp aji amarillo paste
0.5 cup red onion, thinly sliced
3 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
0.5 cup cooked corn kernels
1 pepper jalapeño, minced (seeds removed)
1 tsp kosher salt
1 medium sweet potato, boiled and sliced (optional, for serving)
Cure the fish: Place diced fish in a non-reactive bowl (glass or ceramic). Pour lime juice over until completely submerged. The acid is doing all the heavy lifting here — it'll turn the fish opaque and firm in about 15 minutes.
Soak onions: While fish cures, soak red onion slices in ice water for 10 minutes to mellow the bite. Drain well.
Mix: Once fish is opaque and firm (not translucent), drain most of the lime juice, leaving about 2 tbsp. Add aji amarillo paste, drained onions, cilantro, corn, jalapeño, and salt. Toss gently.
Taste and adjust: Add more lime for brightness, salt for depth, or aji amarillo if you want the heat turned up.
Serve immediately. The acid keeps working after plating — give it 20 minutes and the fish turns rubbery.
Chef's Notes
Understanding ceviche means understanding that acid 'cooks' proteins through denaturation rather than heat. The lime juice causes fish proteins to unwind and firm up, turning translucent flesh opaque — it's actual cooking, not just marinating. Fish freshness is everything. Tell your fishmonger you're making ceviche so they know you need their best. Sushi-grade fish (flash-frozen to kill parasites) is ideal. Halibut, sea bass, snapper, or corvina are traditional: firm flesh that holds up to the acid. Aji amarillo is Peru's signature chile — fruity, floral, and medium-hot with a distinctive yellow-orange color. Find the paste in jars at Latin markets or online; nothing else tastes quite like it. Soaking the red onion in ice water mellows its harsh bite while keeping the crunch. The liquid left in the bowl after curing (leche de tigre, or 'tiger's milk') is considered a delicacy and a legitimate hangover cure in Peru. Sip it or save it for tomorrow. Your call.
Into This Base? Remix It!
Ceviche de Pescado is a taco base recipe — the foundation of your taco, also known as the filling. It sets the flavor direction for everything that follows. Hit remix to pair it with toppings and finishes that complement it or take it somewhere you'd never expect. You might land on something traditional or stumble into full-on taco fusion.Take Ceviche de Pescado into the Summoning Circle and shuffle it with hundreds of other taco components to create your perfect taco.
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