Fresh raw Sea Bream, a citrusy Tiger's Milk marinade, red onion, cilantro and rocoto (a spicy pepper from Latin America) make for an outstandingly delicious ceviche!
Ceviche is one of my favorite things to eat! Super fresh fish cured by the acidity of lemons or limes... Gorgeous!
Recently I had a particularly good Sea Bream Ceviche at one of our favorite restaurants in Pollença, Mallorca: La Font del Gall.
I asked the owner Santi for the recipe and he introduced me to Leche de Tigre or Tiger’s Milk, a citrus based marinade with a splash of milk, originally from Peru, that gently cures the raw sea bream, making it opaque and giving it a firm yet tender texture.
And since ceviche features a few of my favorite things on God’s green earth: fresh fish, red onions and cilantro, how could I not adore it?!
This was absolutely delicious and if you’re a fish lover like me, you have to give this a go!
xoxo Donata
Ingredients
Serves 2-3 as a starter
For the Tiger’s Milk (Leche de Tigre)
300 ml water
20 g red onion
1 tsp salt plus more to taste
3 cloves garlic
2 tsp milk
Juice of two limes
For the Ceviche
600 g sea bream filets
30 g red onion, chopped
1/2 cup (10 g) cilantro, chopped
1-2 tsp rocoto paste (If you prefer a less spicy taste, start with 1 tsp and work your way up. If you can’t find rocoto, substitute habanero or fresno chili paste)
Freshly ground pepper
Preparation
If you have bought fresh sea bream filets, you will need to freeze them first. This will kill off any bacteria and make it safer to eat. Always defrost fish (and meat for that matter!) in the fridge, so plan in advance.
You can make the Tiger’s Milk a day or two in advance.
Place the water, 20 g red onion, 1 tsp salt, garlic, milk and fresh lime juice in the bowl of a food processor (or a tall glass and use an immersion blender) and blend until very smooth. Keep refrigerated until using.
When the sea bream filets are defrosted, run your fingers over the filets to ensure are no bones hidden in them. Then cut the filets into bite size pieces of about half an inch (1,2 cm). Make sure that the pieces are more or less the same size so they cure evenly in the Tiger’s Milk. Place into a large bowl. Pour enough Tiger’s Milk over the fish pieces that they are fully submerged. You may have Tiger’s Milk left over, keep it for another dish!
Add the chopped red onion, the rocoto and most of the chopped cilantro (save some as garnish). Mix through.
Add more salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate for five to ten minutes to let the fish cure.
Serve immediately garnished with the remaining cilantro.
