Name: Ceviche norteño, Trujillo family-style
Prep time: 19 min
Cook time: 22 min
Total time: 56 min
Cuisine: Peruvian cuisine
Ingredients: 400 g sweet potato, peeled, cut into 4 cm pieces; 240 g cooked choclo kernels, fully cooked and chilled before plating; 1200 ml water, for boiling sweet potato; discarded; 520 g white sea fish fillet, boneless, skinless; specifically supplied for raw service, previously frozen as appropriate; 130 g red onion, very thinly sliced and chilled; 110 ml fresh lime juice, just squeezed; 15 g ají limo, seeded and finely minced; 12 g fresh coriander leaves, chopped; 5 g salt, for all fish and onion; 2 g ground black pepper

Ceviche norteño, Trujillo family-style — complete home recipe

Yield 4 servings

Prep 19 minutes

Cook 22 minutes

Passive 15 minutes

Total 56 minutes

Ingredients ↓

Overview

Ceviche norteño, Trujillo family-style — complete home recipe

La Libertad belongs to the coastal north, where lemon, fish, ají, red onion and local side dishes recur in ceviche cooking. Trujillo is part of that setting, but recipes served under a northern name vary widely; some include seafood, roots or different seasonings. This version chooses a single boneless fish rather than mixing species.

The serving includes freshly mixed raw fish, blanched sweet potato and cooked choclo. The accompaniments balance the lime and chilli, but they are not submerged in acidic liquid. This is a small four-portion home preparation, intended to be assembled only when everyone is ready to eat.

Acid quickly firms the fish surface and alters its appearance. It does not turn raw fish into heat-cooked fish, eliminate all parasites or guarantee safety. Purchase fish specifically handled for raw consumption from a competent supplier, previously frozen under documented parasite controls where appropriate, maintain refrigeration and serve promptly.

Ingredients

For the cooked accompaniments

400 g sweet potato, peeled, cut into 4 cm pieces
240 g cooked choclo kernels, fully cooked and chilled before plating
1200 ml water, for boiling sweet potato; discarded

For the ceviche

520 g white sea fish fillet, boneless, skinless; specifically supplied for raw service, previously frozen as appropriate
130 g red onion, very thinly sliced and chilled
110 ml fresh lime juice, just squeezed
15 g ají limo, seeded and finely minced
12 g fresh coriander leaves, chopped
5 g salt, for all fish and onion
2 g ground black pepper

Method

Cook the sweet potato.Cover 400 g sweet potato pieces with 1200 ml water and bring to a gentle boil and simmer until tender; drain and transfer to a shallow container. A fork reaches the centre of a piece without resistance. Allow 22 minutes for this action. Chill the cooked sweet potato promptly; do not leave it unrefrigerated while fish is prepared.
Chill the accompaniments.Spread the cooked sweet potato in a shallow clean container, then refrigerate for 15 minutes at 4 °C or below until cool to the touch. The sweet potato is cool and no longer emits steam. Avoid holding cooked sides warm while preparing raw fish.
Prepare a cold workspace.Chill clean mixing bowls and the 240 g cooked choclo. Slice 130 g onion, mince 15 g ají and chop 12 g coriander using a board that has not touched raw fish. Vegetables are cut cleanly and remain crisp and cold. Allow 10 minutes for this action. Keep fish refrigerated at 4 °C or below and separate raw-fish tools from produce.
Cut and season the fish.Immediately before serving, dice 520 g cold raw-service fish into 2 cm cubes in a chilled bowl; add the 5 g salt, 2 g pepper and 15 g ají. Fish pieces are evenly sized, cold and firm with a mild fresh smell. Raw fish remains uncooked throughout; discard fish with sour, ammonia-like or rancid odour.
Dress briefly with citrus.Pour all 110 ml freshly squeezed lime juice over the fish and fold carefully for 3 minutes; mix in coriander and half the onion. Do not hold the fish mixture at room temperature. Fish surfaces begin to turn opaque while the centres remain raw. Lime juice is not an antimicrobial kill step or a substitute for qualified sourcing.
Plate without delay.Divide the fish mixture and its juice among four cold plates. Add the remaining onion, cooked choclo and cooled sweet potato at the side. Four plates each contain chilled fish, onion and separate sweet potato and corn. Allow 4 minutes for this action. Serve immediately; do not prepare ceviche in advance for unattended buffet service.

Practical

Serving, storage and substitutions

This ceviche should be made and eaten immediately after mixing. Keep unopened, properly handled fish chilled at 4 °C or below until preparation and follow the fish supplier’s raw-service handling instructions. There is no safe make-ahead or leftover storage plan for the finished raw fish mixture. For guests who should avoid raw seafood, serve a fully cooked fish dish instead rather than relying on extra lime or longer marination.

Control points

Fish turns chalkyIt stood in lime too long. Combine and serve as the final task.
Excess watery juiceThe onion and fish were held warm. Start with chilled, well-drained ingredients and serve at once.

Nutrition per 1 of 4 servings (approximate)

Serving size1 of 4 servings
Calories310 kcal
Carbohydrates29 g
Protein28 g
Fat6 g
Fibre4 g
Sodium590 mg

Allergens and food safety

Raw fish remains raw in citrus. This preparation can carry harmful microbes and parasites even if the fish was frozen. Use fish from a competent supplier specifically for raw consumption and keep it at or below 4 °C until service. Pregnant people, young children, older adults and immunocompromised people should avoid raw ceviche. Wash hands and boards after raw seafood; do not store finished ceviche for later meals. Contains fish.

Closing

In the bowl or on the plate: A chilled northern-coast fish ceviche with ají, lime, onion, sweet potato and corn.
The decisive control: Fish surfaces begin to turn opaque while the centres remain raw.