Name: Homestyle Tumbes fish ceviche with tomato and yuca
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 65 min
Cuisine: Peruvian cuisine
Ingredients: 580 g sweet cassava (yuca) suitable for boiling, peeled, fibrous core removed; 1300 ml water, for simmering; 600 g firm white fish for raw serving, skinless, boneless, diced; 125 ml fresh lime juice, strained; 145 g red onion, thinly sliced; 180 g ripe firm tomato, deseeded and diced; 11 g ají limo, finely minced; 9 g cilantro, roughly chopped; 5 g fine salt

How to prepare Homestyle Tumbes fish ceviche with tomato and yuca

Yield 4 home-style bowls

Prep 25 minutes

Cook 30 minutes

Passive 10 minutes

Total 65 minutes

Ingredients ↓

Overview

How to prepare Homestyle Tumbes fish ceviche with tomato and yuca

Home variations of northern Peruvian ceviche need not imitate restaurant platters. A documented Tumbes fish-and-seafood formula includes tomato alongside lime, onion, chili and cilantro. This practical household fish-only interpretation takes that tomato accent but avoids raw shellfish entirely.

Tomato adds moisture and gentle sweetness; it should be ripe yet firm enough to hold distinct pieces. The clean lemon–chili dressing is assembled at the last moment so the raw fish does not spend time warming on the counter. Yuca, a common northern accompaniment, is boiled until the centre is fully tender.

Keeping the side and raw fish separate during preparation matters as much as seasoning. Use one board for tomato and onion and a second clean one for the fish; discard any utensils that have touched raw fish before handling cooked yuca.

Ingredients

Boiled yuca

580 g sweet cassava (yuca) suitable for boiling, peeled, fibrous core removed
1300 ml water, for simmering

Ceviche

600 g firm white fish for raw serving, skinless, boneless, diced
125 ml fresh lime juice, strained
145 g red onion, thinly sliced
180 g ripe firm tomato, deseeded and diced
11 g ají limo, finely minced
9 g cilantro, roughly chopped
5 g fine salt

Method

Boil the yuca.Add 580 g prepared yuca and 1300 ml water to a saucepan. Simmer for 30 minutes until the pieces are fully soft and free of hard centres. The yuca breaks apart gently when pressed with a fork. Never taste raw cassava.
Let the yuca stop steaming.Drain and leave the yuca on a clean covered tray for 10 minutes before it goes on the plates. The yuca has a soft interior and no visible steam.
Cut vegetables separately.Slice 145 g onion, deseed and dice 180 g tomato, then chop 11 g ají limo and 9 g cilantro. Set aside chilled. The tomato forms separate small pieces, not a puree.
Cut and season raw fish.On a different sanitised board, dice the 600 g cold fish and place it in a cold bowl with 5 g salt and chopped chili. The fish cubes keep their shape when gently folded. Raw fish must remain refrigerated at or below 4 °C before the final mix.
Combine and serve without delay.Pour over 125 ml lime juice, fold in onion, tomato and cilantro, and serve beside the boiled yuca. Tomato and fish pieces are visible in a light, not watery, dressing. Ceviche is raw fish, regardless of colour change in lime.

Practical

Practical guidance

A firm tomato contributes little bursts of juice, so remove the watery seed centre before cutting it. If the tomato is soft enough to collapse in the bowl, the finish can seem diluted and the fish cubes harder to distinguish. Keep the yuca separate from the ceviche until the table. Use sweet cassava intended for boiling, never bitter varieties; boiled cassava should never be eaten partly raw. Refrigerate cooked yuca promptly when it is prepared ahead, but add the raw fish, tomato and lime together only for immediate service. This is intentionally a fish-based family version. The traditional regional repertoire also contains black-clam and other seafood preparations; those should not be added casually to a raw fish dish because the sourcing and microbial risks are different.

Control points

Tomato disintegratesIt was overripe or not deseeded; use firm tomato flesh cut into uniform pieces.
The bowl becomes wateryExcess tomato juice was added; drain diced tomato briefly before the final toss.

Nutrition per serving

Serving size1 of 4 bowls
Calories327 kcal
Carbohydrate49 g
Protein31 g
Fat2 g
Fibre4 g
Sodium600 mg

Allergens and food safety

Use low-cyanogenic sweet cassava intended for boiling, not bitter cassava. Contains raw fish; lime is not a substitute for validated cooking. Hold fish below 4 °C, prevent cross-contamination and advise higher-risk diners to avoid this raw-seafood dish.

Closing

Result: A Tumbes-inspired household ceviche with raw fish, lime, tomato, red onion and boiled yuca.
Key control: Work cold, and add fresh citrus only immediately before service.