Ceviche Recipe from the Philippine Islands

Ceviche is not a dish originally from the Philippine Islands and so this recipe is a variation that a friend of mine, direct from the Philippine Islands, kindly sent me. The look of the dish is a little different from the one shown in the photograph but I could not find any better ones that were freely usable. The important thing is the taste anyway even if the eye wants its share.

A little history on Ceviche

The most widely accepted hypothesis on its origins states that this is a dish invented in Peru. Using somewhat illustrative terms, it can be said even if improperly that Ceviche is a kind of sushi that was invented even before the Inca civilisation.

Of course, it must also be said that in very ancient times, cooking food was not very much in vogue and also for this reason the average lifespan was much shorter. For that reason, I don't think we should make a crusade of it because it is obvious that any place has a tendency to romanticise its traditions as unique. I am not saying this is the case, I am speaking in general of course.

Ceviche Ingredients from the Philippine Islands

Although the recipe was sent to me in so-called imperial measurements, I preferred to convert them to the international system so that everyone, especially Europeans, can understand the proportions without too much difficulty.

• About 900 grams of tuna filleted and diced;
• About 5 centimetres of fresh ginger cut into strips;
• 1 cucumber cut thinly;
• 1 radish, thinly sliced;
• 8 pieces of chopped spicy Thai chilli;
• 15-20 piece of calamansi (you can use 2 lemons instead);
• 1 medium red onion diced;
• 1 pinch of ground black pepper;
• Vinegar;
• Salt to taste;

Preparing Ceviche from the Philippine Islands

• Wash and clean the diced tuna. Of course it is best to use fresh tuna, we Europeans are too used to canned tuna.
• Put the tuna in a container, add the vinegar and a teaspoon of salt. Cover the container and leave the mixture to marinate for about an hour.
• In another container, add the kalamasi or lemon, 3 teaspoons of vinegar, the radish, cucumber, onion, ginger strips, Thai chilli and black pepper.
• After the marinating time, the vinegar has to be removed from the fish, this can be done with a colander, you also have to wash it not too insistently with water and drain it.
• Add the tuna to the mixture prepared with the vegetables in the second container, a pinch of salt to taste and mix everything together.

The dish is ready, there is no need to cook and it is quite simple. Of course, pulses or other types of sauces can also be added to this dish. It seems to me to be a very healthy, simple dish.

I personally haven't tried it yet, but if I can find a trustworthy fishmonger with a blast freezer I will try it. Be very careful because it is imperative that things are healthy, free of microorganisms and fresh.

As my friend told me, vinegar should also have the function of eliminating many pathogens but you never know because there are many that are resistant to acidic agents and anyway the marinating may not involve the whole mass.

Acknowledgements

I am grateful to this friend of mine who allowed me to discover this dish that I did not know and which I will definitely try. And have you tried it? Let me know in the comments. A hug my friends.