Northern ceviche with yuca and zarandaja

Steam the cooked accompaniments.Pour 1000 ml water into a deep saucepan below a steamer insert. Arrange 300 g sweet potato, 450 g yuca in the basket without packing the pieces tightly. Cover and steam over a gentle boil for about 30 minutes. After 20 minutes, test the sweet potato with a knife and lift it out if tender; let the cassava continue steaming until completely tender. Replenishing water should not be necessary with a properly fitted lid. A knife passes easily through each sweet potato round, and the cassava is uniformly tender all the way to the centre without a firm or chalky core. Safety: Fully cook the peeled cassava all the way through and remove any woody central fibre before serving.

Prepare the side portions.Lift the cooked sweet potato and cassava out with clean tongs. Spread them into separate portions on a clean platter so that steam can escape as you portion the beans. Do not put cooked sides in the bowl reserved for raw fish. The cooked roots hold their edges without breaking apart; their surfaces are no longer wet with condensed steam. Safety: Maintain the cooked sides separate from raw seafood and use clean utensils.

Portion the cooked beans.Rinse only if the 320 g cooked zarandaja (hyacinth beans) were packed in salty brine; then drain thoroughly and divide between the serving plates. The beans are tender and free of excess packing liquid. Safety: Choose fully cooked, refrigerated or freshly prepared zarandaja; do not serve uncooked or undercooked hyacinth beans.

Cut and chill the fish.Take 700 g skinless, boneless firm white sea-fish fillets suitable for raw serving from cold storage at 4 °C or below. Inspect for bones, cut into even 2 cm pieces with a clean sharp knife and immediately put the covered bowl back into cold storage at 4 °C or below. The pieces are evenly sized, free of pin bones and still feel thoroughly chilled. Safety: Choose fish obtained specifically for raw preparation from a trustworthy fishmonger; keep it at 4 °C or below, and avoid cross-contamination.

Measure the bright dressing.In a separate chilled nonreactive bowl, stir together 230 ml freshly squeezed lime juice, 14 g chopped ají limo and 5 g salt. Stir briefly until the salt is dispersed and the chilli is distributed. The liquid is fragrant and the salt granules are no longer visibly sitting at the base. Safety: Maintain the dressing chilled; lime is seasoning, not a pathogen-killing cooking method.

Toss fish and aromatics.Place the chilled fish in the serving bowl, pour over all the lime dressing and fold in 190 g thin red onion and 10 g chopped cilantro. Toss once or twice to coat without crushing the fish. Every fish piece is lightly coated and the onion strips remain crisp and distinct. Safety: Maintain raw fish away from prepared vegetables and work promptly on a clean surface.

Give the seasoning brief contact.Hold the dressed fish at 4 °C or below for 3 minutes, without extending the waiting period as a substitute for safe seafood sourcing. The fish remains raw despite the lime. The fish surface has tightened slightly but the cubes are not mushy. Safety: Hold at 4 °C or below; citrus does not reliably destroy parasites or harmful microbes.

Plate and serve without delay.Divide the fish and dressing between 4 chilled plates and set the prepared sweet potato, cassava, zarandaja beans alongside rather than mixing them into the acidic bowl. The ceviche is cool and the cooked accompaniments retain their distinct shapes. Safety: Serve immediately; do not keep a bowl of raw fish at room temperature for a buffet.