Leave it to Nobu Matsuhisa to come up with a close to perfect template for Peruvian ceviche. The man is a raw and cooked fish genius; there’s a reason that a meal at one of his restaurants will leave you a few hundred dollars in the hole (and probably still hungry). I understand going out for sushi. Most of the population doesn’t feel like skillyfully stuffing rolling and cutting foods to get a stupid JB roll. In fact, it’s a beautiful art that should be celebrated and revered. This simple way of eating raw fish is way more involved than most of us think.

Luckily, the other way to eat raw fish is ceviche and easily achievable at home. Many people scoff at the mention of raw fish without having tried it, ever. Yeah, yeah, the notion of it can be weird at first but trust me, you’ll get over it instantly. Plus, it’s sorta cooked, right? The quintessential acidic citrus juices in ceviche cooks it without cooking it. Seems like a win in my book. Living in Miami, I’m lucky to have a wonderful selection of fresh fish available to me at all times, and this is a way for us to revel in its freshness. Especially now in the summer months where we want to disrobe at a mere second of being outside.

Friends have suggested recipes and techniques for ceviche over the years and I’ve tried them all. I always felt like each was really, really MEH. This one is very simple and straightforward, and while you can get crazy and add some mango, pineapple, and other tropical fruits, the more I cook professionally the more I go back to old school and classic ways of cooking. Simplicity and quality of ingredients reign supreme, as always.

Ceviche

Recipe adapted from Nobu Matsuhisa

Serves 4

Notes: The success of this recipe is fully dependent on the quality of your fish. Please try to get as fresh as possible by visiting your local fishmonger. If you don’t have one, talk to the fishmonger at your local grocery store to see which fish is the most fresh. I find especially that scallops that are not totally fresh will be horrendous. If you can’t find good fresh fish, use all cooked shellfish. I particularly like using a combo of a sturdy white fish such as grouper and cooked shrimp.

It’s a misconception that ceviche needs to sit for hours on end to “marinate”. I find this actually degrades the quality of the fish. The fish and dressing should be combined up to 30 minutes before serving. Just my thoughts.

I’m usually against recipes that use 1/2 or 1/4 of an ingredient, but since Nobu is so exact, this is just the way to go.

Get

For the ceviche sauce

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 tablespoon yuzu juice (yuzu is a japanese citrus, if you can’t find, use orange or lime juice or a mixture)

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

2 teaspoons coconut aminos (or tamari or soy sauce if you eat soy/gluten)

1 teaspoon finely grated garlic

1 teaspoon grated ginger

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon aji amarillo paste

For the ceviche

8 ounces (225 g) seafood (delicate-flavored varities such as fresh white fish and shellfish, boiled octopus, boiled squid, boiled shrimp), cut into bite-size pieces

1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro, plus extra sprigs for garnish

1/4 red onion, thinly sliced or minced (depending on how you feel about red onions)

1/2 cucumber, peeled and cut into thin round slices

4 mini tomatoes (different colors if you can), halved

6 tablespoons ceviche sauce

Do

In a small bowl, combine the lemon juice, yuzu juice, sea salt, coconut aminos, garlic, ginger, pepper, and aji amarillo paste. In a medium bowl, combine the fish, cilantro, onion, cucumber, and tomatoes, then dress with the ceviche dressing. Top with some sprigs of cilantro and serve immediately.