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Leche de tigre
Citrus ceviche marinade
Leche de tigre: the sharp, chilli-hot citrus marinade of ceviche, served as a shot with bits of fish
Every cevichería along Lima's coast, from Chorrillos to the market stalls of Surquillo, sells this as a pick-me-up before lunch: a small glass of milky, lime-sharp juice blitzed with fish, celery, ginger and ají limo, with a few cubes of fish and kernels of cancha floating on top. It is cold, salty, very sour and fiery, and people swear by it the morning after a long night. Because the fish is cured only by lime, this safer version uses very fresh white fish that has been frozen at −20 °C for 24 hours first, keeps everything ice cold and is drunk at once; it is not for pregnant women, young children or anyone with a weakened immune system. The common mistake is blending the lime with the fish for too long, which makes the juice bitter, so pulse only briefly. Chef's tip: squeeze the limes by hand, gently, without pressing the pith; the last hard squeeze is what turns leche de tigre bitter.
- Total time
- 15 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 5 ½ oz firm white fish filletsea bass, sole or flounder, skinless; frozen at −20 °C for 24 h, thawed in the fridge
- ¾ cup lime juicefrom about 10 limes, freshly squeezed
- ¼ cup fish stockcold, or iced water
- 1 stick celerychopped
- 1 tsp fresh gingergrated
- 1 ají limoor 1 small hot red chilli, deseeded
- ½ red onionhalf chopped, half sliced thinly
- 1 tbsp fresh corianderchopped
- ¾ tsp salt
- 2 ice cubes
To serve
- 4 tbsp cancha (toasted corn) (optional)or salted corn nuts
- 4 tbsp cooked choclo kernels (optional)Andean corn, or sweetcorn
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What you'll need
Fresh ingredients (6)
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Keep the thawed 5 ½ oz firm white fish fillet in the fridge until the last moment. Cut it into 1 cm cubes and set aside a quarter of them on a cold plate for the glasses.
Step 2: Put the remaining fish in a blender with ¼ cup fish stock, 1 stick celery, 1 garlic clove, 1 tsp fresh ginger, half of ½ ají limo, the chopped ¼ red onion and ¾ tsp salt.
Step 3: Add ¾ cup lime juice and 2 ice cubes and pulse for 10–15 seconds only, until the fish is broken up and the liquid looks milky and white.
Step 4: Strain through a sieve into a cold jug, pressing lightly. Taste: it should be sour, salty and hot all at once; add a pinch more salt if it tastes flat.
Step 5: Pour into 4 small chilled glasses. Add the reserved fish cubes, the sliced ¼ red onion, 1 tbsp fresh coriander and the rest of ½ ají limo, finely chopped.
Step 6: Scatter over 4 tbsp cancha (toasted corn) and 4 tbsp cooked choclo kernels and drink straight away, while the fish is still firm and the juice ice cold. Don't keep any leftovers.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 90 kcal
- Protein
- 9 g
- Carbs
- 9 g
- Fat
- 2 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does leche de tigre take?
- About 15 minutes in total.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Is it very spicy?
- It has some heat. Use less chilli for a milder version, or more if you like it hot.
- What can I use instead of lime juice?
- Lemon juice, same amount.
- What can I use instead of celery?
- Fennel bulb, same weight.
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