Best chilean ceviche recipe, how to make it with salmon

I love ceviche in all its varieties and by far my favorite is this Chilean ceviche recipe that I will make with salmon. The main difference with Peruvian ceviche or Mexican ceviche is that the Chilean version has a much more mild flavor and is less spicy. Since Chilean cuisine does not use so many chiles.

 The key to making it really fresh and tasty is, as with all ceviche, preparing it with very fresh fish.

How to make ceviche? 

This recipe uses fresh raw fish, fresh seafood, or a combination of both chopped into small pieces and seasoned (although it is cured) with lemon juice and combined with onion and cilantro. This is a very versatile dish, so it is easy to prepare. In Chilean cuisine, we can find ceviche of different fish, such as Chilean sea bass, tuna, hake, or pippin. In seafood: abalone, shrimp, lobster, and octopus, to name a few. The recipe for them is the same, only the main ingredient changes. In fact, in Chile, the most common ceviche are salmon ceviche, pippin ceviche, mixed ceviche (a mixed salmon and pippin ceviche), and shrimp ceviche.

In this case, we will make a salmon ceviche recipe. Salmon is a fish that is farmed in the south of Chile in its Cohoy Atlantic variant, and it´s internationally recognized for its great quality and exquisite flavor, which has led to being one of the favorites when it comes to making salmon ceviche.

Where does the ceviche come from?

 Although Peru has made it famous internationally and is part of its gastronomic heritage, this recipe is prepared in different countries on the South American Pacific coast and now I will prepare de Chilean version that is way simpler. 

Beyond the version of its origin, I am interested in highlighting the versatility of the dish, which can be served both as an appetizer to share (along with some tortilla chips) as a starter or main course on hot summer days.

Variations:

You have to think that ceviche is a cheap dish, more precisely a fishermen’s dish, which they make with the day’s catch from the boats, so the traditional recipes is fish, onion, lemon juice, cilantro leaves, and sea salt.

But you can make some changes, Replace the lemon with lime juice, orange juice, or grapefruit juice, any acidic citrus juice will cure raw fish.

You can also add multiple ingredients such as celery, bell pepper, green onions, avocado,  clove garlic, chili peppers, or aji amarillo (all chopped into small pieces) Change the onion for red onion or vegetable oil with extra virgin olive oil.

Food safety:

It´s really IMPORTANT to buy fresh fish, since raw seafood can contain parasites that are harmful to health, anisakis being one of the best known and responsible for many food allergies. To prevent it, it is necessary to acquire clean fish without guts. If these have not been removed by the time of purchase, it should be done as soon as possible when you get home. If you don´t eat the fish immediately, you should freeze the fish at -18ºC ( 0ºF) for about five days, a process by which the parasite is eliminated. This process is also important when preparing a tartare.

Taking these precautions you will not have problems and you will be able to enjoy a simple, exquisite, and nutritious dish whenever you want. 

Pro Tips:

1. Since we will use regular onion for this ceviche, its flavor may be too strong, so we have 2 options: replace it with red onion or soak the onion (once cut) in cold water with salt and rinse it.

2. If the coriander that we will use is not fresh, we can soak it in a large bowl with cold water and a few drops of lemon juice, after a few minutes the leaves will be fine again.

3. Use a  non-reactive bowl (glass for example) when you make ceviche. The lemon juice is too acidic and can react with other materials.

4. Always serve the ceviche cold.

What to serve with this Chilean ceviche recipe:

The most classic accompaniment of the ceviche is always a pisco sour. Remember that in Chile is an appetizer served in individual bowls,  you can add con chips or toast for using it as a “spoon”.

If you prefer to eat your fish cooked I recommend this recipe of salmon in foil, which can be made with any fish you want.