Name: Chilean Ceviche
Prep time: 30 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Chilean
Ingredients: 1/2 kilo of firm white fish (in Chile: sea bass, in the USA red snapper); 1/2 Spanish or yellow onion, chopped into tiny cubes; 1/4 red bell pepper, chopped into small cubes; 1/4 green bell pepper, chopped into small cubes; 1/4 cup cilantro leaves without stems; 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil; salt, pepper, and merkén if desired; 5 lemons

Versión en español

What differentiates the Chilean ceviche from the Peruvian and other versions from countries in Latin America? Let’s see the size of the fish pieces: in the Chilean ceviche, the fish is cut small. I remember how sometimes my grandmother did it with cubes of 1/2 cm, almost ground. The onion variety, in the Chilean version, is always Spanish or yellow onion. And finally, the other ingredients: that are minimal in the Chilean case: bell peppers, if desired, and cilantro. In the Peruvian version, the corn and the sweet potato abound, and the onion is the purple variety and chopped in half-moons.

I am a super fan of all ceviches; I’m always happy to try all its variants. Use very fresh fish, and hopefully make friends with your fisherman or fishmonger. I buy mine at the local Farmers Market, at Airline Seafood.

Maybe you’re interested in the recipe: Sauteed white fish.

Chilean Ceviche

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Print Recipe

Learn the secrets for a great Chilean ceviche.

Total Time: 30 minutes
Yield: 4

Ingredients

Units

1/2 kilo of firm white fish (in Chile: sea bass, in the USA red snapper)
1/2 Spanish or yellow onion, chopped into tiny cubes
1/4 red bell pepper, chopped into small cubes
1/4 green bell pepper, chopped into small cubes
1/4 cup cilantro leaves without stems
2 tablespoons of vegetable oil
salt, pepper, and merkén if desired
5 lemons

Instructions

The previous night if you want to serve it for lunch or in the morning if it is for dinner. Wash the fish and cut it into small cubes of 1 cm per side. Place in a container and squeeze enough lemons to cover the fish. I used three.
Before serving, put the fish in a large bowl and add the onion, pepper, paprika or Merkén, and cilantro — the juice of half a lemon, oil, and salt.
Stir everything and taste. Adjust the seasoning.
Serve cold.