Peru’s most popular seafood dish is believed to date back to the coastal Moche civilization nearly 2000 years ago. They used a marinade of fermented banana and passion fruit juices to “cook” raw fish. When the Spanish colonists brought citrus fruits to Peru in the 1500’s, the natives began using lemons, limes and oranges to cure ceviche dishes. The modern version of Peruvian ceviche, which uses shorter marinating periods, was developed in the 1970’s by Peruvian-Japanese chefs who applied sashimi preparation techniques to the classic dish.

Peru’s most popular seafood dish is believed to date back to the coastal Moche civilization nearly 2000 years ago. They used a marinade of fermented banana and passion fruit juices to “cook” raw fish. When the Spanish colonists brought citrus fruits to Peru in the 1500’s, the natives began using lemons, limes and oranges to cure ceviche dishes. The modern version of Peruvian ceviche, which uses shorter marinating periods, was developed in the 1970’s by Peruvian-Japanese chefs who applied sashimi preparation techniques to the classic dish. Peruvian ceviche typically uses chunks of raw Corvina or Cebo (sea bass) served with spices, chili peppers, choclo (corn) and slices of cooked sweet potato. The Andean Sumaq recipe calls for river trout from Puno, the freshest fish in the region.  

Boil the corn with a bit of anise, mixing it with half of the indicated amount of sugar, and to preserve its color, sprinkle a few drops of lime juice into the mixture.

Then, boil sweet potato previously peeled and cut into sticks together with the rest of the sugar until cooked. Marinate the trout in lemon, salt, pepper, garlic, ginger, cilantro, and onions cut into strips. After two minutes, marinate with morrón pepper.

Add a few cubes of ice to preserve its freshness and to lower the marinade’s acidity. Serve with corn and sweet potatoes, garnish with lettuce, onion, a slice of limo hot pepper cut into rings, and some threads of crispy sweet potato.