Ceviche! Peruvian Cuisine comes to Edinburgh

Ceviche signature dish made by Edinburgh Foody

Martin’s signature dish made by Edinburgh Foody

If Martin Morales has anything to do with it, Peruvian cooking will become the taste of 2013. Owner of Ceviche in London, dubbed the hottest restaurant of the year, he has just completed a 10-venue whistle stop tour of the country. Each night, he and his team created a pop up restaurant, gave a master class and cooked for around 35 diners. Chefs at each of the venues offered their restaurants and staff for the event. Excitement and anticipation was high.

Ingredients for the ceviche

Ingredients for the ceviche including the ajo chilli

Mark Greenaway was his host in Edinburgh. Mark first encountered ceviche when he was working in Australia. “Martin’s version is quite different”, he enthused. “It’s a great opportunity for my team to understand new tastes and flavours”. Mark sat down with the rest of the guests and clearly relished the evening as much as we did!

We’re here to make ceviche

In our masterclass with Martin we learn how to make the restaurant’s signature dish “Dom Ceviche” or King Ceviche. It’s fascinating to hear that there are many different types of ceviche in Peru, and each with a different influence. For example, there is a large Japanese population in Peru who bring Japanese flavours to their version of ceviche.

Making the tiger's milk

Making the tiger’s milk

The very freshest fish is absolutely key to making ceviche. We are using farmed sea bass – as sustainable as possible explains Martin. Our “mise en place” includes limes, salt, red onions, two types of chilli, ginger, cubes of cooked sweet potato, the fish and coriander. The colours are just glorious. Martin suggests 600 gr of fish for 4 people.

Martin leads us through the steps required to make the dish.

Finely slice the red onions (red onions are sweeter) and place in ice cold water. This makes them crisper.

Slice the fish into 3 cm shapes

Slice the fish into 3 cm shapes

Squeeze the juice of 2 small limes, place in a bowl and add chopped garlic, ginger, the amarillo chilli and the finally the chopped coriander.

Add about 4 good pinches of salt. Taste as you go along – the mixture should have a good balance, not too salty, not to strongly lime juice flavoured. This mixture is called the “tiger’s milk marinade”. Set aside whilst you prepare the fish.

Pin bone your fish. Cut into diamond shapes about 2 cm long.  Sprinkle with salt. Set aside

Chop the aji limo chilli (or another medium hot chilli) and add to the “tiger’s milk”.
This last step should only be done when you are almost ready to serve as the fish should only spend a few minutes in the “tiger’s milk”.

Strain the “tiger’s milk” and pour over the fish. Drain the onions  and combine all ingredients.

After a few minutes plate the ingredients piling high and dot with the cubes of sweet potato. Serve.

And the taste? Quite extraordinary. It is zingy, fresh and delicious. The fish has a firm texture, more meat like than fishy. It make you think, this is so good for me and it tastes wonderful. Be adventurous and try it!

Martin and Ceviche

Danielle and Martin Morales

Danielle and Martin Morales

Martin’s CV is impressive, he latterly ran Disney Music and has produced many artists including Scotland’s own KT Tunstall. However, in 2010 he gave it up to follow his dream to create a restaurant and brand that would bring Peruvian food to the fore.

To create his restaurant, Martin and his team travelled throughout Peru finding the best recipes, then search the UK for the freshest fish. With pop-up restaurants and supper clubs he refined his ideas. Ceviche was born. It’s not simply a restaurant, it’s an ode to Peru. It celebrates, the food, people and music.

Aqui se cocina con cariño—here we cook with loving care

Cook Ceviche

The Ceviche recipe book, chilli sauce and ingredients

The Ceviche recipe book, chilli sauce and ingredients

Martin’s new book,  Ceviche: Peruvian Kitchen shows the breadth of flavours and textures in Peruvian cuisine certainly not simply ceviche and contains 100 recipes.

At the supper following the masterclass, we ateseveral of the dishes from the book:  a delicious confit duck and green rice dish, quinoa with butter bean and avocado and a Machu Pichu chocolate coffee pots. And of course not to be missed a pisco sour.

Download the Ceviche App

Ceviche on Twitter @cevicheuk; Martin Morales on Twitter@martinceviche and on facebook at CevicheUK

 

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About Bread Baker Danielle

Danielle founded Edinburgh Foody in 2010. Having qualified as a professional bread baker in France in 2014, she is now on a new adventure in Gloucestershire. Check out severnbites.com Look out for occasional posts for Edinburgh Foody

2 Comments

  1. Your recipe is really interesting – I like that you upped the salt content slightly from some of the other ceviche recipes I found. Did you find that the juice of 2 limes was sufficient? Also where did you get your chile?

    You can see my attempt at Ceviche’s Don Ceviche here: http://edesialondon.com/sea-bass-ceviche-ceviche/

    Thanks & happy cooking,
    Jess

    • Hi Jess, Lovely to hear from you. Martin was guiding us every step of the way for this recipe. He’d brought along the limes and the chillies. We did a lot of tasting to adjust the flavours, and I remember him saying that you’d get quite a lot of variation depending on the fruit you use. As to salt, it’s interesting to hear that it’s more than usual!

      You’ll find quite a range of chillies on the Lupe Pintos shop.

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