Ceviche Mixto
Ingredients
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- 1/2 pounds octopus – cleaned
- sweet potato – cooked (for serving)
- choclo (Peruvian large-kernel corn) – cooked (for serving)
- 1/2 pounds shrimp – peeled and deveined (~25 medium shrimps)
- 1/2 pounds squid – cleaned, tubes and tentacles
- 1 medium red onion – very thinly sliced
- 1 1/2 cups lime juice – freshly squeezed
- 2 chiles ají limo chile – finely minced (seeds removed for less heat)
- 1 clove garlic – finely grated
- 1 tsp ginger – finely grated
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper – freshly ground
- 1 cup ice cubes
- 1 pounds firm white fish – skinless, boneless
- 2 tbsp cilantro – finely chopped
- cancha (toasted corn) – for serving
- lettuce leaves – for serving
Instructions
1. Cook the octopus: Place the octopus in a heavy pot, cover, and cook over low heat until very tender when pierced with a skewer, 60–75 minutes; let cool 10 minutes, then slice into bite-size pieces.
2. Prepare the sweet potato: Steam the sweet potato until tender when pierced, 25–35 minutes; cool until warm, peel, and cut into thick rounds, 5 minutes.
3. Cook the choclo: Steam the choclo until kernels are plump and tender, 10–15 minutes; cut the cob into chunks or remove kernels, 2 minutes.
4. Blanch shellfish: Bring a medium pot to a rolling boil. Add the shrimp and cook until just opaque, 60–90 seconds; lift out and cool quickly. Add the squid and cook until firm and opaque, 45–60 seconds; drain and cool.
5. Crisp the onion: Rinse the sliced red onion under very cold water to mellow, 30 seconds; drain thoroughly and keep chilled.
6. Make the leche de tigre: In a chilled nonreactive bowl, combine the lime juice, ají limo chile, garlic, ginger, kosher salt, and black pepper. Add the ice cubes and stir until the mixture is very cold and slightly diluted, about 1 minute; remove any unmelted ice.
7. Assemble and cure: Cut the firm white fish into 0.75-inch pieces. In a large chilled bowl, combine the fish, sliced onion, cooked octopus, shrimp, and squid. Pour the cold lime mixture over and add the cilantro; toss gently to coat. Let stand 8–10 minutes, stirring once, until the fish turns opaque at the edges but remains supple.
8. Serve: Line plates with lettuce leaves. Spoon the ceviche on top and serve immediately with the sweet potato, choclo, and a handful of cancha on the side.
Ceviche mixto is a bright, bracing seafood dish where lime-cured fish meets a medley of cooked shellfish and cephalopods. The flavors are high and clean: sharp citrus, fresh chile heat, and the snap of red onion balanced by the cool herbiness of cilantro. Texturally, it’s a study in contrast—tender fish and octopus, just-cooked shrimp and squid, and the classic sides of sweet potato and choclo that temper the acidity.
Rooted in Peru’s coastal tradition, ceviche evolved from ancient methods of marinating fish in acidic fruit and sea salt to its modern expression with lime after citrus arrived via the Spanish. Over time, techniques were refined—short curing times, precise knife work, and chilled preparation—especially under the influence of Japanese-Peruvian (Nikkei) chefs. The “mixto” designation signals a festive, abundant style that brings multiple seafoods together and is commonly served with camote (sweet potato), choclo (large-kernel corn), and cancha (toasted corn).