Name: Tumbes-Style Fish and Cooked Prawn Ceviche
Prep time: 20 min
Total time: 20 min
Cuisine: Peruvian cuisine
Ingredients: 480 g firm white fish fillet, skinless, pin-boned, suitable for raw consumption; 240 g cooked peeled prawns, fully cooked and thoroughly chilled; 160 ml fresh lime juice, strained; 150 g red onion, cut into very fine strips; 15 g ají limo, deseeded and chopped; 15 g coriander leaves, finely chopped; 3 g fine salt, weighed; 100 g prepared chifles, plain fried plantain crisps

Northern-Style Fish Ceviche with Cooked Prawns and Chifles

Yield 4 plated servings

Prep 20 minutes

Cook 0 minutes

Passive 0 minutes

Total 20 minutes

Ingredients ↓

Overview

Northern-Style Fish Ceviche with Cooked Prawns and Chifles

Tumbes and the northern coast have a broad repertoire of ceviches featuring local fish, shellfish and sharp lime-and-chilli seasoning. The region cannot be reduced to one species or one exact mixture. This version pairs raw firm white fish with fully cooked prawns, keeping the two different preparation states clear to the cook.

Chifles are thin fried plantain slices that appear across the northern coast as a crisp snack and accompaniment. Here they stay out of the acidic dressing until serving so that their crispness is retained. Prepared commercial chifles are easier to portion consistently than deep-frying plantain just before dressing the seafood.

Cooking the prawns does not make the accompanying raw fish safe. A supplier must confirm suitable raw-service fish and handling, and all seafood must remain cold. There is no assumption that raw black mangrove clams are a casual substitute for prawns: shellfish sourcing and hazards require separate controls.

Ingredients

Fish and seafood

480 g firm white fish fillet, skinless, pin-boned, suitable for raw consumption
240 g cooked peeled prawns, fully cooked and thoroughly chilled
160 ml fresh lime juice, strained
150 g red onion, cut into very fine strips
15 g ají limo, deseeded and chopped
15 g coriander leaves, finely chopped
3 g fine salt, weighed

To serve

100 g prepared chifles, plain fried plantain crisps

Method

Prepare the chilled seafood.Keep the 240 g fully cooked peeled prawns in a covered container at 4 °C or colder and cut the 480 g raw-service fish on a separate sanitised board into 2 cm cubes. The prawns are firm and cold, and fish cubes keep distinct edges. Do not confuse cooked prawns with raw prawns; fish remains raw.
Cut the aromatics.Slice the 150 g red onion; chop 15 g ají limo and 15 g coriander. Squeeze and strain 160 ml lime juice into a separate clean jug. The onion is slender and the juice contains no seeds. Wash hands and disinfect tools after working with seafood.
Dress the fish.In a cold nonreactive bowl combine the raw fish with 3 g salt, ají limo and 160 ml lime juice; gently toss for 1 minute. All pieces glisten with fresh juice and retain firm edges. The lime does not cook or sanitise the fish.
Add the cooked prawns.Fold in the 240 g cold cooked prawns, red onion and coriander; divide into four chilled dishes immediately. Prawns remain whole and the onion is coated without becoming limp. The combined dish contains raw fish despite the cooked prawns.
Finish with chifles.Divide the 100 g plain chifles between four dishes and place them at the side, not submerged in lime juice. Chifles are crisp and the seafood is still cold.

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. Use cooked prawns only; raw shellfish is not an equivalent substitution. For this version, the serving finish is tumbes-style fish and cooked prawn 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 chifles
Calories360 kcal
Carbohydrate18 g
Protein39 g
Fat14 g
Fibre2 g
Sodium580 mg

Allergens and food safety

Contains fish and crustacean shellfish (prawns). 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. Cooked prawns must already have been fully cooked before beginning. For this particular plate, prepare the accompanying ingredients completely before touching the raw fish: tumbes-style fish and cooked prawn ceviche.

Closing

Result: Put the plantain chips on the plate at the very last moment for a crisp, separate texture.
Key control: Keep suitable raw fish below 4 °C and serve as soon as dressed.