Name: Callao-Style Classic Fish Ceviche
Prep time: 19 min
Total time: 19 min
Cuisine: Peruvian cuisine
Ingredients: 640 g firm white fish fillet, suitable for raw service, pin-boned and chilled; 170 ml fresh lime juice, strained; 180 g red onion, very thinly sliced; 14 g ají limo, finely chopped, deseeded; 10 g coriander leaves, chopped; 3 g fine salt, weighed; 100 g prepared toasted cancha, ready-to-eat Peruvian toasted corn

Callao Fish Ceviche with Lime, Ají Limo and Cancha

Yield 4 plated servings

Prep 19 minutes

Cook 0 minutes

Passive 0 minutes

Total 19 minutes

Ingredients ↓

Overview

Callao Fish Ceviche with Lime, Ají Limo and Cancha

Callao’s coastal cooking includes ceviche made from raw seafood, lime, onion and chilli. The name of the port, however, does not imply a single mandatory proportion or an exclusive garnish. This short-form recipe keeps the fish at the centre and adds only the ingredients needed to balance acidity, salt, heat and fresh onion.

Cancha is large-kernel Peruvian corn that is toasted until it becomes crisp. It is not ordinary boiled sweetcorn, and it is placed beside the ceviche rather than left to soften in the dressing. The result is deliberately lighter than a plate with cooked sweet potato and corn kernels.

Unlike a broth-based ceviche dressing, the thin seasoned lime liquid here forms directly in the bowl when the fish is coated and gently turned. It should not be blended or left to stand for an extended time. Because the fish is raw, verified raw-service purchasing and cold handling are the deciding precautions.

Ingredients

For the ceviche

640 g firm white fish fillet, suitable for raw service, pin-boned and chilled
170 ml fresh lime juice, strained
180 g red onion, very thinly sliced
14 g ají limo, finely chopped, deseeded
10 g coriander leaves, chopped
3 g fine salt, weighed

Alongside

100 g prepared toasted cancha, ready-to-eat Peruvian toasted corn

Method

Set up a cold workstation.Chill a nonreactive bowl and serving plates and keep the 640 g fish at 4 °C or colder while setting out 100 g ready-to-eat toasted cancha. Bowls are cold to the touch and the cancha remains dry. Cancha must be a ready-to-eat cooked product.
Slice the aromatics.Cut 180 g red onion into thin strips and finely chop 14 g ají limo and 10 g coriander. Squeeze and strain 170 ml lime juice. Onion strips separate easily and the lime juice is seed-free.
Cut the fish.With a separate sanitised knife and board, cut 640 g chilled raw-service fish into 2 cm cubes and return it to the chilled bowl. Pieces have neat edges and remain cold. The seafood will be eaten raw.
Mix for immediate service.Add 3 g salt, ají limo and lime juice to the fish and fold for 1 minute; add red onion and coriander and divide immediately among four chilled plates. The fish remains distinct, coated with a little lightly cloudy dressing. Acid is not a microbial kill step.
Add the crunchy side.Place 25 g of toasted cancha beside each portion and take the plates straight to the table. The corn stays crunchy and separate from the liquid.

Practical

Practical guidance

Prepare the cooked accompaniments before handling the fish and chill them promptly. Keep the raw seafood separately refrigerated at 4 °C or colder until the final dressing. Mix and eat the ceviche immediately; do not prepare a large bowl hours ahead or depend on an overnight citrus soak. Do not store leftovers of the assembled raw-fish ceviche for another meal. A fully cooked fish alternative reaches 63 °C at its centre and is a different texture and presentation. For this version, the serving finish is callao-style classic fish ceviche; keep every accompaniment separate until plating.

Troubleshooting

Fish turns soft or breaks apart: The fish was stirred too forcefully or sat in lime juice; cut firm cubes, fold briefly and serve at once. The dressing tastes bitter: Lime peel or pith was pressed too hard; squeeze the fruit lightly and strain the juice. The ceviche feels warm: Fish or garnishes were left on the bench; chill components separately to 4 °C or colder before mixing.

Nutrition per 1 of 4 portions

Serving size1 plate with 25 g cancha
Calories287 kcal
Carbohydrate20 g
Protein37 g
Fat6 g
Fibre3 g
Sodium420 mg

Allergens and food safety

Contains fish. Ceviche contains uncooked fish: citrus juice does not make raw seafood pathogen-free. Buy from a reputable supplier able to confirm appropriate handling for raw service and previously frozen fish for parasite control, keep it at 4 °C or colder, prevent cross-contact and eat immediately. Freezing does not eliminate every microbial risk. Pregnant people, young children, older adults and immunocompromised people should avoid the raw-fish dish; cooking fish to 63 °C is the safer option, but it produces a different dish. For this particular plate, prepare the accompanying ingredients completely before touching the raw fish: callao-style classic fish ceviche.

Closing

Result: Present the cancha apart from the dressing; mixing it into lime juice removes the intended crunch.
Key control: Keep suitable raw fish below 4 °C and serve as soon as dressed.