Part II: What to do when you crave ceviche but live in New York.
It's unfortunate that some of the worst ceviche I've ever tried has been in New York. There was a lamentable incident in which Jeremy and I, in a moment of inspiration, decided to stop at Coco Rocco for a lunch time ceviche and beer. The fish was mauled and stringy - absolutely no care had been taken to treat it with any dignity - and the texture was such that we felt we were eating worms. It also had no taste (and, as long as I'm ranting, I should add that the food at Coco Rocco tastes nothing like Peruvian food). Anyway, yuck.
Lima's Taste used to have a decent ceviche. But ever since they moved from the East Village to Christopher St. in Greenwich Village, their quality control has been questionable (although they do serve a mean Lomo Saltado).
The best place to go is Jackson Heights (unless you have any other suggestions?), where there is a growing number of Peruvian restaurants, all serving quite decent ceviches and tiraditos.
But that's of little use if you don't live in the area...not that I mind a trip to Queens, it's just that I don't always have the time.
Lucky us that ceviche is quite easy to make. The key is fresh fish.
I like to go to Brooklyn Fare, where they have a very good selection of local fish - wild caught and farmed (I never used the frozen stuff). My man is Franco, their fish specialist, who will tell you exactly which is the freshest of the lot and at exactly what time of the day they arrived. He knows a lot about fish (and surprisingly about ceviche too), and will recommend a good substitute when there is no adequate sole available. I always go with his word.
I'm using this post as the perfect opportunity to experiment with my ceviche recipe - I made two versions.
Ceviche 1 was left to soak in salted water for 30-45 min. It was then drained, patted dry, and cut into 1/2 in chucks. In a shallow dish I rubbed a clove of crushed garlic and a bit of crushed ginger over the surface, leaving the garlic. The fish is then added in one layer, salted and topped off with onion, habanero (used instead of aji), pepper, a bit of cilantro and lime juice.
Ceviche 2 was left to marinade in milk (whole) for the same amount of time, 30-45 min. Once the fish was cut, I placed it in a bowl and added onions, habanero, garlic paste, salt, pepper, and lime juice.
Both ceviches were made with fresh sole (caught that morning), with slightly less than 1/4 c of lime juice per 1/2 lb of fish, along with a generous amount of sliced onions. Neither sat for more than 10 minutes before being served. Note: It is important to allow the sliced onions to sweat before mixing them with the fish - sprinkle them with salt and let them sit for at least an hour, then rinse before using. In addition, I added an ice cube to maintain freshness. As garnishes I served sweet potatoes - boiled with cinnamon and cloves, sliced and chilled - and cancha.
The ceviche that sat in milk was by far the better recipe - the milk added a base to the citrus and gave the dish a much more complex flavor. Alas, it is by no means a perfect ceviche. The ingredients available here are too different from those found in Lima. But, it was a good version and I think there is room for improvement. Next time: ceviche made with key limes.
Ceviche 1 was left to soak in salted water for 30-45 min. It was then drained, patted dry, and cut into 1/2 in chucks. In a shallow dish I rubbed a clove of crushed garlic and a bit of crushed ginger over the surface, leaving the garlic. The fish is then added in one layer, salted and topped off with onion, habanero (used instead of aji), pepper, a bit of cilantro and lime juice.
Ceviche 2 was left to marinade in milk (whole) for the same amount of time, 30-45 min. Once the fish was cut, I placed it in a bowl and added onions, habanero, garlic paste, salt, pepper, and lime juice.
Both ceviches were made with fresh sole (caught that morning), with slightly less than 1/4 c of lime juice per 1/2 lb of fish, along with a generous amount of sliced onions. Neither sat for more than 10 minutes before being served. Note: It is important to allow the sliced onions to sweat before mixing them with the fish - sprinkle them with salt and let them sit for at least an hour, then rinse before using. In addition, I added an ice cube to maintain freshness. As garnishes I served sweet potatoes - boiled with cinnamon and cloves, sliced and chilled - and cancha.
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| Cancha |
The ceviche that sat in milk was by far the better recipe - the milk added a base to the citrus and gave the dish a much more complex flavor. Alas, it is by no means a perfect ceviche. The ingredients available here are too different from those found in Lima. But, it was a good version and I think there is room for improvement. Next time: ceviche made with key limes.
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