"Cooking" with acid (ceviche)
At a tappas bar, I had shrimp ceviche. In this dish, the shrimp is "cooked" not by high temperature but by the citric acid of its marinade. This would be really fun to make at home. For such dishes, should you stick to tested recipes? Or is there a way to figure out: what kind of acids will work, what kinds of meats will work, and when the meat is sufficiently "cooked"?
Edit: Added quotes around "cooked" since, as Bob pointed out, the meat is not cooked per se.
Best Answer
Ceviche is not exactly "cooked", but the acid causes the proteins to become denatured in a similar way. It may not kill all bacteria and parasites as effectively as cooking (with heat), so like sdg said, it's safest to use food that you would eat raw.
"Sushi grade" can refer to the fat content of the fish (like the USDA grades for beef marbling) rather than an assurance of its safety, so don't rely on that to pick out ingredients. Saltwater fish should be frozen at sea both for freshness and to kill parasites, and I prefer to get individually quick frozen (IQF) shrimp both for their freshness and convenience. Saltwater fish at your local supermarket has been previously frozen, so you're usually better off just buying frozen fish and thawing it yourself, unless you're really pressed for time.
Freshwater fish should not be used in a raw preparation, including ceviche.
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Is ceviche cooked with acid?
Ceviche is fish that has not been heated, instead, it is cooked by immersing it in an acid. As we discussed above, one of the most important steps of cooking fish is the denaturation of proteins. This can be done by heat, but acids can do this as well!What does ceviche acid do?
Ceviche (pronounced "seh-VEE-chay") is a Latin American recipe for raw fish and seafood marinated in citrus juice, mainly lime and lemon. The acid in the citrus denatures the proteins in the fish, causing it to become opaque and producing a firm texture.Does the acid in ceviche cook the fish?
As the pieces of fish sit in the marinade, the citric acid from the juice slowly causes the flesh's proteins to denature, in very much the same way that heating will. The result is raw fish with the opaque appearance and firmed texture of cooked fish.How do you balance the acid in ceviche?
\u201cI always try to source whatever is best and at peak, in terms of fish, and pair it, very simply, with cilantro, red onions, and limes. I like to counterbalance the acidity of the limes with a little bit of orange juice, so it's not too acidic. And then just some sea salt and chile peppers.More answers regarding "Cooking" with acid (ceviche)
Answer 2
Whether or not you should stick with a tested recipe depends on your expertise and the food in question.
In this case, if you are an experienced chef, and the food you are preparing you would be willing to eat raw (i.e. sushi grade), then no worries, just go ahead and experiment.
On the other hand, I tend to stick to a recipe pretty closely for the first few times. Once I understand how the dish should turn out if I "follow the rules", that then gives me guidance as to how I can break them.
Good Luck
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