Huanchaco fish ceviche

Maricel Presilla travelled throughout Latin America collecting recipes for her book Gran Cocina Latina. This is a traditional recipe from Huanchaco.

SERVES: 6

TAKES: 35 MINS

INGREDIENTS FOR THE VEGETABLE SIDES

450g (trimmed weight) cassava, cut into 9cm sections, to serve

2 medium sweet potatoes (around 800g), peeled and sliced into 6cm sections, to serve

1 large corn on the cob (fresh or thawed from frozen), cut into 3cm rounds, to serve

85g toasted corn (or lightly salted giant corn), to serve

FOR THE CEVICHE

900g skinless grouper or sole fillets

175ml fresh lime juice (6-7 limes)

4 garlic cloves, mashed to a paste with a mortar and pestle or finely chopped and mashed 1 small red onion, thinly sliced

2 lemon drop chillies (or habanero or Scotch bonnet, preferably yellow), deseeded and lightly crushed

1 tbsp fresh coriander, finely chopped

METHOD

For the vegetable sides, boil the cassava in salted water for around 25 mins, then drain, cut into bite-size pieces and keep warm. Boil the sweet potatoes in unsalted water for around 15 mins until fork-tender, then drain, cut into 3cm-6cm cubes and keep warm. Boil the corn for around 5 mins, then drain and keep warm.

For the ceviche, rinse the fish in a colander under cold running water. Drain and pat dry with kitchen paper. Cut each fillet in half lengthwise, then cut across on an angle into 1cm-1.5cm pieces. Tip into a medium bowl, toss with 2 tsp salt and let stand for 5 mins.

Add the lime juice, garlic, onion, chillies and coriander to the fish and toss well (some cooks add a couple of ice cubes to cool the juices and tone down the acidity of the lime).

Serve immediately in individual soup plates, alongside the cassava, sweet potato and corn. This recipe originally appeared in Gran Cocina Latina: the food of Latin America, by Maricel Presilla (£33, W W Norton & Company).