Asevichado Recipe

Prepare fish

Pat all fish pieces dry with paper towels and dice into roughly 1–1.5 cm cubes. Combine tuna, salmon, and white fish in a chilled glass or stainless-steel bowl. Keep refrigerated until ready to marinate.

Cure in citrus

Pour the fresh lime juice and lemon juice over the diced fish so they are mostly submerged. Add sugar and 1 tsp of the salt, gently toss to combine. Let sit in the refrigerator for 6–10 minutes — you want the white fish to firm up slightly but not be fully 'cooked' like a long-cured ceviche (aji amarillo leche de tigre will finish flavoring). After 6–10 minutes, drain off about half the citrus liquid, reserving it in a small bowl for the leche de tigre.

Make the leche de tigre while fish is resting: in a blender (or with an immersion blender), combine the reserved citrus liquid, aji amarillo paste, minced garlic, grated ginger, chopped cilantro, fish stock, vegetable oil, remaining 1/2 tsp salt and the black pepper. Blend until frothy and emulsified, about 20–30 seconds. Taste and adjust seasoning — add up to 30 ml filtered water if too intense, or another 1/2 tsp sugar if too acidic.

Strain the blended leche de tigre through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl to remove fibrous bits for a silky marinade. Reserve about 80–100 ml of leche de tigre to return to the fish; keep the rest for serving or to drizzle.

Pour the reserved 80–100 ml of leche de tigre over the partially cured fish, gently tossing to coat. Let marinate an additional 4–6 minutes in the refrigerator — total contact time with citrus should be about 10–15 minutes depending on how ‘raw’ you prefer the fish. Taste and adjust salt or heat (add a little extra aji paste or a pinch of salt) as needed.

Prepare vegetables: while fish finishes marinating, thinly slice the red onion and soak in cold water for 5 minutes, then drain and pat dry to mellow bite. Dice avocado and cucumber just before plating to prevent browning.

Gently fold the diced avocado, cucumber, and the drained sliced onion into the marinated fish mixture right before plating. Add chopped cilantro and gently combine to avoid mashing the avocado.

Prepare sweet potato: if not already cooked, roast or boil the sweet potato whole until tender (20–30 minutes), then slice into 1 cm rounds and warm slightly. Sprinkle a small pinch of salt over slices.

To plate: spoon a portion of the fish and vegetable mixture into shallow bowls or on a chilled plate. Arrange 2–3 slices of sweet potato on the side, scatter cancha corn over the ceviche for crunch, and place 2–3 plantain chips or tostones on the rim or side for scooping.

Finish: drizzle a little extra leche de tigre over the ceviche (about 1–2 tbs per serving). Garnish with microgreens or baby cilantro and a final pinch of cancha. Serve immediately so the textures (crispy corn, creamy avocado, tender fish) remain distinct.