If you are looking for the perfect light summer dish, then ceviche is
the one for you. It is not summer in the United States anymore. However, it is
in Central and South America. Originating in Peru, ceviche is a popular South and
Central American dish, containing fish or shrimp, cilantro, lemon or lime juice,
bell peppers, and many other delicious ingredients. This meal requires no
cooking because the citrus juice “changes the structure of the proteins in the
fish much in the same way that heat does” (Gershenson, 2005). The author
describes ceviche as an informal dish that invites variation. You can pretty
much combine any fruit or vegetable with this meal, and still make it taste
wonderful. On a recent trip to Costa Rica, my dad’s cousin and her family invited
our family to have dinner at a local restaurant. That is where I was
introduced, and fell in love with ceviche. Since returning from my trip, one of
my favorite places to order ceviche is at La Frontera, Tex-Mex Grill, in
Stockbridge. This restaurant offers the traditional ceviche consisting of lemon
juice cured tilapia, with tomatoes, cilantro, onions, garnished with jalapeños
and grilled tostadas, as well as the tropical ceviche which adds the sweet
taste of mangos.
 |
| Costa Rican ceviche-made with fish, avocados, tomatoes, onions, cilantro, and lemon juice. |
Works Cited
Gershenson,
Gabriella. “Cool and Comforting Ceviche.” NPR.
NPR, 3 Aug. 2005. Web. 19 Oct.
2014.
South American food always looks so tasty and colorful! Your twist on the Ceviche recipe seems very cool. It is a bit different from the one I'm used too. I really need to try this some time.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a very interesting dish. You mentioned, “You can pretty much combine any fruit or vegetable with this meal, and still make it taste wonderful.” I like the fact that you can change the ingredients to make this dish have a different taste and flavor. I would like to try ceviche one day but I am not sure if I would like to eat uncooked fish or shrimps. Can you make this dish with the fish or shrimps cooked?
ReplyDeleteThe fish/shrimp is cooked, or cured by the lemon juice. I understand that it may seem weird at first to eat fish or shrimp that is not traditionally cooked over heat. However, the acid from the lemon juice cooks it in the same way that heat does. If you are going to make this dish, just remember to put the ceviche in the fridge for about two hours to ensure that the fish or shrimp are fully cooked.
DeleteMy mom makes a dish quite similar to this when we have parties and such and it is ALWAYS gone by the end of the day! She's never put avocados in hers though. I might have to try that sometimes! Do you have any alternatives for the fish and shrimp? I'm not the biggest fan of fish!
ReplyDelete