Citrus Cebiche Clásico

Method

I left notes on 3 steps.

1. 1

   Get everything cold. The fish, the bowl, your hands if you can. Warm is the enemy of good ceviche.

2. 2

   Cut the fish against the grain into clean 2cm cubes. Season with the salt and the pinch of sugar.

3. 3

   Slice the aji limo and press the oil out of it into the fish. That pepper oil is the essence of the dish.

4. 4

   Add the cold fish stock. This is what brines and cures the fish from the inside.

5. 5

   Squeeze the limes to about 80%. Never past. Go further and they turn bitter.Press to four-fifths and stop. The last squeeze is where the bitterness lives.

6. 6

   Rest exactly three minutes. Set a timer. It's a cure, not a marinade.Timer: 3 minThe fish should be just turned, not cooked to rubber.

7. 7

   Pull the sliced chili out. Add the red onion, cilantro, and a little diced aji.

8. 8

   Taste, taste, taste. Spoon off the extra juice at the bottom, the leche de tigre.Serve the leche de tigre as a little shot on the side. That tiger's milk is the best bite of the whole thing.

9. 9

   Plate with warm camote and choclo, butter lettuce, and a scatter of cancha.