Recipe: Must eat: Guatemalan Ceviche

Qué?

Ceviche is a dish in which any variety of fish and other seafood is mixed (usually raw) with juices, herbs, and vegetables (and sometimes fruit). A dish similar to ceviche was eaten almost 2,000 years ago. In South America, especially in Peru – where ceviche is recognized as a traditional local food – there’s a wide variety of different versions. The region’s abundant seafood and the availability of a wide variety of herbs and spices means that the “Central American version” of ceviche has its own distinctive ingredients.

Ingredients

• 1 pound large shrimp (about 10 shrimp)
• ½ cup freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1 cup seeded chopped tomatoes
• ¾ cup finely chopped red onion
• ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon of your favorite hot sauce, or more to taste
• ¼ cup V8 juice
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ cup Cerveza Modelo Especial (in Guatemala: cerveza Gallo)
• 1 avocado

Procedure

• Place 4 cups of water in a large saucepan and bring to a boil.
• Add the shrimp and cook for 2 minutes.
• Drain and place in ice water bath to cool.
• Strain when cool.
• Peel and devein the cooked shrimp and cut into ¼- to ½-inch pieces and place in a bowl.
• In a small bowl mix 2 cups of cold water with a teaspoon of salt.
• Add the onions and soak for 10 minutes.
• Strain and rinse thoroughly. This will reduce some of the strong flavor of the onion.
• Mix in the remaining ingredients, except the avocado, and refrigerate for 45 minutes to an hour.
• Just before serving, cut the avocado into bite-size pieces and fold into the ceviche.
• Serve with crackers of your choice (in Guatemala this ceviche is served with saltine crackers).

For more nice (Guatemalan) recipies, please visit Edible Cape Cod