Mexican Ceviche – a lesson in Biochemistry!
Ceviche (pronounced suh-vee-shay) is a delicious dish made of fresh seafood steeped in an acidic marinade, most commonly lime or lemon juice.
Though it is never “cooked” in the traditional sense, Ceviche goes through a chemical process that effectively rearranges or “denatures” the fish’s protein molecules, much like the application of heat. Denaturation (“changing the nature”) is a fascinating science as it is also one of reasons why eggs can perform such diverse roles and undergo huge transformations, from fluffy meringues to a fragile gel that’s crème caramel.
The acid in the citrus forms an extremely low pH condition to denature the fish protein networks, much the same as heating would. This results in the seafood becoming opaque and firmer in texture. In true culinary terms, to denature is to change the appearance and the texture – in this case, the fish has the ‘appearance’ of being cooked. And just in case you are concerned about ‘raw’ fish, the acid takes care of pesky pathogens. Vibrio cholera, a seafood-borne pathogen, cannot exist in an environment that has a pH of less than 4.5 (Potter, 2010) even at room temperature, so marinating seafood in lemon or lime juice should take care of it. Delicious and impressive as a dinner party starter or chop the ingredients more finely and serve on quality crackers as finger food. Serves 4
Ceviche (pronounced suh-vee-shay) is a delicious dish made of fresh seafood steeped in an acidic marinade, most commonly lime or lemon juice.
Though it is never “cooked” in the traditional sense, Ceviche goes through a chemical process that effectively rearranges or “denatures” the fish’s protein molecules, much like the application of heat. Denaturation (“changing the nature”) is a fascinating science as it is also one of reasons why eggs can perform such diverse roles and undergo huge transformations, from fluffy meringues to a fragile gel that’s crème caramel.
The acid in the citrus forms an extremely low pH condition to denature the fish protein networks, much the same as heating would. This results in the seafood becoming opaque and firmer in texture. In true culinary terms, to denature is to change the appearance and the texture – in this case, the fish has the ‘appearance’ of being cooked. And just in case you are concerned about ‘raw’ fish, the acid takes care of pesky pathogens. Vibrio cholera, a seafood-borne pathogen, cannot exist in an environment that has a pH of less than 4.5 (Potter, 2010) even at room temperature, so marinating seafood in lemon or lime juice should take care of it. Delicious and impressive as a dinner party starter or chop the ingredients more finely and serve on quality crackers as finger food. Serves 4
Mexican Cerviche
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INGREDIENTS:
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METHOD:
Note:
- Place the fish and lime juice in a non-reactive bowl (e.g., glass) and set aside in the fridge overnight.
- The next day, drain the fish and chop it into smaller bite-sized pieces.
- Return the fish to the bowl and add the tomato, onion, coriander, chilli and olive oil.
- Divide the Ceviche among serving glasses and top with the avocado.
- Garnish with coriander sprigs and service with crackers and lime wedges on the side.
Note:
- Make sure you allow for the overnight marinating when you decide on this dish.
- You can reduce the amount of chilli or use another mild, unseeded variety.
