Panamanian Ceviche (Ceviche Panameño)
ceviche panameño Say it: seh-VEE-cheh pah-nah-MEH-nyoh
Panamanian ceviche is the country's default appetizer and its favorite street snack: cubes of corvina cured just long enough in fresh lime juice to turn pearly white, then tossed with red onion, the fruity heat of ají chombo and a handful of culantro. It is eaten everywhere from Panama City cevicherías to beach bars, often in small cups with saltine crackers on the side. The taste is bright, saline and clean — sharp lime, sweet onion, a slow chile burn — and the fish stays tender rather than chewy.
Panamanian Ceviche (Ceviche Panameño)
ceviche panameño
Pronounced seh-VEE-cheh pah-nah-MEH-nyoh
- Serves
- 4
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- —
- Total
- 20 min
- Level
- Easy
Also nut-free and egg-free.
Allergens: contains fish. Check labels on packaged ingredients.
Ingredients
Amounts are scaled. Cooking times and pan sizes stay the same.
Method
Pat the fish dry, cut it into 1/2-inch (1 cm) cubes and keep it in the fridge while you squeeze the limes — cold fish holds its shape and cures evenly.
Put the fish in a glass or ceramic bowl, sprinkle over the salt and toss. Let it stand 5 minutes; the salt seasons the flesh and draws out a little moisture.
Pour the lime juice over the fish, add the minced chile and half of the onion, and press the fish down so every cube is submerged. Cover and refrigerate for 15–20 minutes.
Check at 15 minutes. the cubes should be opaque and chalky-white on the outside, still pearly and tender within. Do not go past 25 minutes or the fish turns firm and rubbery.
Meanwhile, rinse the remaining onion under cold running water and drain well — this takes the raw bite off it.
Tip off most of the lime juice, keeping a few spoonfuls, then stir in the remaining onion, the culantro and the celery if using.
Taste and adjust with more salt, or a splash of the reserved lime juice if it needs more sharpness.
Spoon into small chilled bowls or cups, scatter a little onion and chile on top, and serve at once.
Regional variant: Shrimp Ceviche (Ceviche de Camarones)
Replace the corvina with 1 lb (450 g) peeled shrimp. Boil them 60–90 seconds in salted water until just pink and curled, then shock in ice water and drain well. Cure the cooled shrimp in the same lime, chile and onion mixture for only 10–15 minutes, since they are already cooked, and finish with the culantro and a squeeze of fresh lime.
Cook's notes
- Start with impeccably fresh, sushi-grade fish and use it the same day; 15 minutes in the freezer firms the fillet for clean, even cubes.
- Only fresh lime juice will do — bottled juice cures unevenly and tastes dull.
- Cure in glass, ceramic or stainless steel; aluminium and bare cast iron react with the acid and give the fish a metallic edge.
Serve with
Saltine crackers or fried patacones, hot sauce on the side, and an ice-cold beer or a cold soda.
Make ahead and storage
Best within an hour of curing. Keep the fish and the onion-chile mix separate and combine just before serving; tightly covered it holds up to 24 hours, though the fish softens.
