Name: Lima ceviche for gatherings with cooked shrimp and squid
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 150 min
Cuisine: Peruvian cuisine
Ingredients: 500 g firm white fish suitable for raw serving, skinless, boneless, well chilled; 260 g raw peeled shrimp, deveined, for cooking; 180 g cleaned squid tubes, cut into rings, for cooking; 420 g sweet potato (camote), peeled and sliced; 300 g choclo kernels, fresh or frozen; 1800 ml water, 1200 ml for vegetables; 600 ml for seafood; 140 ml fresh lime juice, strained; 170 g red onion, cut into thin plumes; 15 g ají limo, finely chopped; 12 g cilantro, chopped; 6 g fine salt

How to prepare Lima ceviche for gatherings with cooked shrimp and squid

Yield 4 generous plates

Prep 25 minutes

Cook 35 minutes

Passive 90 minutes

Total 150 minutes

Ingredients ↓

Overview

How to prepare Lima ceviche for gatherings with cooked shrimp and squid

Ceviche is also shared at celebrations, where generous platters can bring fish and shellfish together. This Lima-oriented gathering preparation is explicitly a practical mixed-seafood option, not a distinct ceremonial recipe. The fish remains the uncooked citrus-dressed element while the shrimp and squid are fully cooked before they join it.

Cooking the shellfish separately is important. It avoids relying on the unverified belief that lime juice makes raw shrimp or squid safe, and it also gives the squid a controlled texture. Let the shellfish cool under refrigeration before it enters the bowl; pouring hot pieces over fish would raise its temperature.

The sweet potato and choclo make it suitable for serving as a substantial shared dish. Prepare those sides and the shellfish ahead within safe refrigeration limits, but add the final lime and onion to the raw fish immediately before the plates go out.

Ingredients

Seafood

500 g firm white fish suitable for raw serving, skinless, boneless, well chilled
260 g raw peeled shrimp, deveined, for cooking
180 g cleaned squid tubes, cut into rings, for cooking

Accompaniments

420 g sweet potato (camote), peeled and sliced
300 g choclo kernels, fresh or frozen
1800 ml water, 1200 ml for vegetables; 600 ml for seafood

Dressing

140 ml fresh lime juice, strained
170 g red onion, cut into thin plumes
15 g ají limo, finely chopped
12 g cilantro, chopped
6 g fine salt

Method

Simmer the sides.In one saucepan combine 420 g sweet potato, 300 g choclo and 1200 ml of the water; simmer for about 30 minutes, removing each ingredient when tender. The tuber offers little resistance to a fork and the corn has plump tender kernels.
Cook the shellfish thoroughly.Bring the other 600 ml water to a boil in a second pot. Add 260 g shrimp and 180 g squid and cook in a controlled simmer for 5 minutes or until the thickest pieces measure 63 °C. The shrimp are firm and curled and the squid rings are tender, not rubbery. Check the thickest shellfish pieces reach 63 °C using a thermometer.
Chill cooked components.Drain the cooked sides and seafood into separate shallow containers. Spread the seafood in a single layer and refrigerate it for 90 minutes, checking it has cooled to 4 °C or lower before final mixing. The centre of the cooked shellfish has cooled to 4 °C or lower. Refrigerate promptly at 4 °C or below; do not mix warm shellfish with raw fish.
Prepare the raw-fish mixture.Slice 500 g chilled fish into 2 cm cubes. In a fresh cold bowl combine it with 6 g salt, 15 g ají limo and 140 ml lime juice. The fish keeps its shape and the dressing is lightly cloudy. Use separate cleaned equipment for raw fish and cooked components.
Fold and arrange the platter.Gently add 170 g red onion, 12 g cilantro and the chilled cooked seafood. Divide into four plates with sweet potato and choclo. The cooked shellfish is evenly distributed while the fish cubes remain intact. Serve immediately and keep the platter chilled until it reaches the table.

Practical

Practical guidance

Arrange the completed platter in several shallow serving dishes rather than one deep bowl that is repeatedly taken in and out of refrigeration. Separate utensils for the cooked shellfish and raw fish remain important through the last assembly. Do not leave the seafood buffet standing warm while guests arrive. Cooked shrimp and squid may be prepared ahead if they are chilled promptly, covered and held at 4 °C or below, but this is not a licence to marinate raw fish far in advance. Finish the lime dressing just before guests begin eating and discard any raw-seafood mixture that has been improperly held. The cooked shellfish changes the bite of this plate: shrimp should be springy and squid tender, with neither element subjected to a long acidic soak. Keeping the cooked seafood chilled also means it will not dilute or warm the fish dressing.

Control points

Squid turns chewyIt may be overcooked; use a thermometer and stop cooking as soon as the thickest piece has reached the safe endpoint.
Ceviche is warmHot shellfish was added too soon; chill cooked seafood fully before mixing with raw fish.

Nutrition per serving

Serving size1 of 4 generous plates
Calories406 kcal
Carbohydrate48 g
Protein47 g
Fat4 g
Fibre6 g
Sodium845 mg

Allergens and food safety

Contains raw fish, shrimp (crustacean) and squid (mollusc). Raw fish is not made safe by lime. Cook shrimp and squid to 63 °C and chill promptly. Guests at greater risk from foodborne disease should avoid the raw fish element.

Closing

Result: A celebratory-style mixed ceviche pairing raw fish with separately cooked, cooled shrimp and squid.
Key control: Work cold, and add fresh citrus only immediately before service.