The politics of Ceviche

The first day back to work after vacation is horrible. Thoughts of the days of freedom linger in workers heads as they sit in front of computer screens, construction sites or groups of people ready to be served. My day was spent longing for another springtime hike, surrounded by trees, rocks and a breathtakingly beautiful waterfall. Although I wasn't climbing to the top of a 500 meter slope, I did feel the aftermath, in both my legs and arms.

In order to snap out of my nostalgia, I figured I had to cook something really good for dinner. Something that would make me forget that life couldn't be one BIG vacation. As I browsed the web for inspiration, I came across a recipe for Chilean Sea Bass that brought about an even better idea. I asked my co-workers, Carey and Paulina, what the fish was called in Spanish and at that moment Carey said, "you could make Ceviche." That was it, the back to work dish.

I began to do research thinking that it would be an easy dish to find a recipe for...boy was I wrong. Ceviche is one of those simple dishes filled with controversy. Firstly, it is made in each country a different way. Mexican Ceviche, for example, uses tomatoes, which is a big no-no in Peruvian Ceviche, as I was told by Carey, along with oil. "Estas mas perdido que aceite en Ceviche," is a Peruvian saying used when someone is lost or wrong, literally meaning, "You are more lost than oil in Ceviche."

Thanks to Carey's expertise in all things Ceviche, particularly Peruvian Ceviche, the heavy load was lifted from my shoulders, until I found myself in front of the fish isle at the supermarket and my second problem. There were so many choices, Ceviche can be made with Chilean sea bass, Red Snapper or a variety of other white flesh fish. Since neither of the two mentioned were in stock I asked the man at the fish counter what the next best option was and he pointed directly to the Perch. The rest of the shopping was quite straight forward from there, two pounds of limes, habanero peppers and my newest discovery, chocolo. Chocolo is typically served with Peruvian Ceviche, along with sweet potatoes, as a way to soak up the extra juices (another one of Carey's brilliant tid-bits). It's corn on the cob with bigger pieces of corn and quite possibly my next food obsession.

Once at home ready to take on the task at hand, I decided to look up a few recipes to get an idea of what I was getting myself into. This is where the third problem arose. Each recipe I looked up was followed by pages of Ceviche war. There were arguments on whether or not to cook the fish before hand (in Ecuador they cook it, in Peru they let it cook itself in lime juice), on whether or not lime juice was better than that of lemons and on whether or not celery should be used. People were angry, perhaps it had something to do with the politics between the countries of Ecuador and Peru, or maybe it was really all about the Ceviche. The only thing people seemed to agree on was that they loved the dish itself, so much in fact that they were willing to post nasty comments back and forth defending the food that could be made in so many different ways.

At this point I was feeling overwhelmed, so I took a deep breath, poured myself a glass of cold white wine and made my next move. I began by covering the fish in lime juice and placing it in the fridge to let it cook itself for two hours. It felt right so I went with it, feeling as though this way may be more "authentic", not knowing if it was right or wrong. As it sat, I took my mind of things by making Flan for dessert. I have never appreciated Flan so much, it truly is a simple, quick and tasty dish.

Luckily, I finished the Flan and cleaned my apartment just in time for Carey to arrive and the Ceviche to be taken out of the fridge. She walked me through the rest as I blended celery and julienned (my new cool cooking word) onions. After plenty of taste testing and dashes of pepper and slices of habaneros, we did it. Carey helped me achieve the perfect Peruvian Ceviche, tangy, spicy and refreshing. Followed by the Flan it made for a great back to work dinner celebrated with my two favorite co-workers. It has also inspired me to make Ceviche recipes from around the world, trying each and every one, all politics left behind.

Peruvian Ceviche

Serves 4-6

2 pounds of tilapia or Chilean sea bass fillets, diced (you can also use other white fish fillets)

1 ½-2 cup of fresh lime juice (enough to cover the fish)

1-2 fresh yellow hot pepper or habanero, seeded and chopped (I used 2 but it may be too spicy for some)

5 stalks of celery, chopped

1/2 cup water

1/2-1 Tbs pepper

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1/2 large red onions, cut into long thing strips - julienne style

4 tablespoons of fresh cilantro, chopped

1 cup of lime juice Boiled chocolo (or corn on the cob), cut in 2 inch pieces

Boiled sweet potatoes, cut in slices

1. Put the fish into a large glass bowl with the lime juice (1 ½-2 cups), cover, and keep in the fridge for at least 2 hours.

2. Drain the lime juice from the fish

3. In a tall glass or bowl, with a hand blender, blend the celery, water, garlic, pepper and 1 Tbs of cilantro until smooth.

4. Add the remaining lime juice and celery mixture to the fish and stir.

5. Add the hot peppers, onions and cilantro and keep in the fridge until ready to serve.

6. Serve with the chocolo and sweet potatoes on the side.

Brilliantly Simple Flan

Serves 6

6 ramekins, special flan dishes or a muffin tray (I used the muffin tray and it worked fine, each portion just comes out smaller, making 8 Flan)

1 1/2 cups sugar

6 large eggs

14oz can sweetened condensed milk

28oz whole milk

1 tsp vanilla

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

2. Pour 1 cup sugar in a warm pan over medium heat and stir until it is brown and becomes caramel.

3. Quickly pour 2-3 tablespoons of caramel in each ramekin, muffin holder ect., tilting it to swirl the caramel around the sides. Reheat caramel if it starts to harden.

4. In a bowl beat the eggs together, adding in the milks and then slowly beat in the 1/2 cup of sugar, followed by the vanilla, blending until smooth.

5. Place each ramekin or the muffin tray in a large glass or ceramic baking dish and fill with about 1-2 inches of hot water.

6. Pour the mixture into the caramel lined ramekins or muffin holders and bake for 45 minutes.

7. Remove and let cool. Let each ramekin cool in refrigerator for 1 hour. Invert each ramekin onto a small plate, allowing the caramel sauce to flow over the custard and serve.