What are the best fish to prepare a cebiche?

A respected cebichero will tell you that any type of fish is good to prepare this dish, as long as it is fresh. However, each cook (and diner) has their preferences when serving it to the table: tuna, mackerel, sea bass, hake, smooth. The list can go on. For this reason, we asked two chefs what seasonal fish they recommend to prepare the ever-popular cebiche.

Parakeet

Betsi Albornoz, in charge of El Populacho, recommends this fish for its versatility to be used not only in ceviche but also in other preparations. She highlights its texture as well as its thick, meaty fillets. Make slant cuts -she prefers these cuts because the salt and lemon soak into the meat better when mixed- but big on the parakeet so that you feel its freshness. At the moment, this fish is in abundance and the price is not so expensive.

damn

“I particularly like the ceviche de carajito (or lisa) for its texture. Since they have a higher percentage of fat, they seem more delicious to me,” says cook Albornoz. She recommends using the carajito as long as it is left on the fillet (without one more cut) so that thick fillets come out.

Accompaniment

The owner of El Populacho, located in Villa María del Triunfo and a cebichera bar to open on January 17 in Barranco, recommends seasoning the fish (whatever you prefer) with lemon at its point (not too yellow to avoid bitterness). To accompany, there are preferences for all tastes: some prefer cassava or zarandaja, others add to the cebiche noodles, chanfainita or papa a la huancaína (a Betsi favorite). Dare to try.

croaker

Fransua Robles, in charge of La Picante, recommends preparing cebiche with this fish for its subtle and tasty meat thanks to its high fat content. In this case, he suggests bathing the fish in citrus fruits first and adding salt at the end. This will cause it to exude more protein and a more concentrated milk of tiger will come out. When buying it in the market, he recommends that the piece be 60 cm. or 1.2 kg. or more.

murique grouper

Robles considers this fish the opposite of the croaker. It has a firmer meat and not so porous, but just as tasty. “It’s one of the best fish out there,” he points out. The order of preparation of the cebiche will be reversed: first you have to salt it and then add the lemon. Their leche de tigre is slightly more crystalline.

rock fish

The owner of La Picante, located in Jesús María, likes to work with this type, among which are the cheetah, the pinta grouper, the cheetah and the tromboyo. It is important that they are from artisanal fishing since “the meat is firmer and they are tasty for their food. They are fish that do not get hurt, the belly is not bursting and they last longer when preserved ”, he assures.