Ceviche is one of those seemingly esoteric dishes that Americans have truly embraced, especially those of us who live fairly near the ocean. A Peruvian inventon, the original ceviche recipe is fish or seafood marinated in citrus juices, which then “cook” the fish. I’ve seen all sorts of versions served in restaurants, and if you look on any angler’s forum you’ll see recipes for ceviche of… well anything, really.
This can be a very bad idea.
The reason is because ceviche (sev-ee-chay) is still very much raw fish or seafood.
The citrus bath the seafood sits in does turn the meat opaque, giving it the appearance of being cooked, and it does kill some of the many wee beasties present in raw foods that can make you sick, notably the toxin vibrio. But the ceviche-making process will not protect you from the worst of the nasties, ranging from salmonella to parasites and worms.
Certain species of fish tend to be more or less prone to parasites — a trip to the sushi bar will give you a clue as to what species these are. Tuna and other pelagic species tend to be free of parasites (swordfish being a notable exception), as is farmed salmon (oddly). But ever notice that mackerel (saba) is always cured?
That’s because it can often contain anasakis worm larvae, also known as seal worm. Everything in the cod family is especially prone to infestation, too, which is why you never see cod sushi.
Here in the West, Pacific salmon, rockfish and halibut well known to harbor anasakis larvae, and to be safe you must freeze your fish before eating it raw. And when I mean freezing I mean really freezing. You need the fish to hit -4°F for about a week to do the trick. Note that a lot of home freezers never hit this temperature.
I don’t want to scare you too much. The vast majority of illnesses you might get from eating tainted or parasite-laden raw fish will be moderate to light. It’ll feel like food poisoning, with cramps, nausea and a serious case of the trots. Not fun, but not life-threatening, either. This is because in most cases we are not what’s called a “definitive” host, meaning the parasite hits a dead end with us.
Seal worm is a great example. The seal worm (anasakis) is around wherever there are seals and sea lions — they are the “definitive” host for that parasite. When we eat raw, tainted salmon, the worm says, “Cool! A mammal! Let’s attach to his intestines.” But the worm soon learns that a person is not a sea lion and it dies, but not before making you sick.
We are a definitive host to lovely critters like liver flukes and tapeworm, however, which are common in North American freshwater fish. The single largest vector for tapeworm in America is from people eating raw or undercooked trout. People think, “Hey! I love salmon sushi, and trout is just a cousin of a salmon, so…”
Bad idea. Under no circumstances should you eat freshwater fish raw or in ceviche that has not been properly frozen first. Remember the only way to get rid of a tapeworm, which can grow longer than 20 feet in your guts (nasty!) — is to take medicine that will kill it. You then need to eject the thing. Ew.
Now that I’ve freaked you all out, here’s some good news: Actual illness from parasites and such is pretty rare. I’ve known guys who’ve eaten fresh raw salmon for years without getting sick, and raw Pacific salmon is one of the fish with the highest incidence of tapeworm and seal worm infestation.
What’s more, you can vastly improve your chances of avoiding parasites in your fish by killing the fish quickly when it comes overboard, bleeding it, and gutting it ASAP. This last bit is the most important because virtually all the parasites hang out in the viscera of fish, not the meat. In most cases, the meat gets tainted because when the fish dies the parasites panic and burrow into the meat.
Here is an overview of seafood safety from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Bottom Line: Unless you are tuna fishing, make your ceviche from pre-frozen fish. It’s just a smart thing to do.
Once it’s been properly frozen, however, the sky’s the limit. A traditional Peruvian ceviche recipe typically has onions, chiles, cilantro and sometimes corn and tomatoes. I normally go that route and serve an appetizer-style ceviche that’s great eaten on tortilla chips. Fantastic for a light dinner, or to put out when you are watching football or having a party.
Basic Ceviche
Ingredients
- 1 pound pre-frozen lingcod, rockfish or other lean, white fish
- 3 limes
- 2 lemons
- 1 grapefruit
- Salt and black pepper
- 1/2 red onion, sliced root to tip
- 2 Roma or other paste tomatoes, seeded
- 1 ear of corn, kernels sliced off
- 1 habanero or rocoto chile pepper, or more to taste
- 3 tablespoons chopped cilantro
Instructions
- Slice the fish into small, bite-sized pieces. Cut the tomatoes into pieces the same size as the fish and set them aside for later. Zest 1 lime, 1 lemon and the grapefruit and grate them fine; I use a microplane grater to do this. Mince the habanero fine. Juice all the citrus. Add all the ingredients except for the tomatoes and the cilantro to a bowl or plastic container with a lid and refrigerate for 30 minutes to 2 hours.
- Add the tomatoes and cilantro, mix well and serve cold with chips.
Hey there! Great info. So a question about freezing – is pre frozen store bought cod safe to use then? It said most home freezers will not go low enough to kill of the nasties but do commercial freezers take care of that problem in store bought pre-frozen fish?
Thanks!
Kalila: Commercially frozen fish should have been initially frozen at the proper temperature, then stored in the supermarket at regular freezing temperatures. I have made ceviche from pre-frozen fish a lot, with no problems.
If you do not live close to the ocean or a fishing port, you have no choice but eating frozen fish made ceviche. Your recommendations are good for safety consumption of citrus marinated fish, even though most recipes look more like fish salad to me (sure depends on the style and regions). The real deal is when you prepare ceviche from freshly caught fish, there is huge difference in flavor, it does not even need lot of spices, just salt, freshly squeezed limes, a bed of red onions rings, some hot pepper, garnish of cilantro. That’s it!, we like to accompany it with choclo (Peruvian corn) and/or cooked sweet potato. This is one of the signatures dishes from Peru.
I first came across ceviche back in the 90’s whilst on a fishing trip out of Margarita Island, just off the coast of Venezuela.
Walking the coast in the midday sun (sensible), we discovered an old , ramshackle yacht club. I liked it, very Hemingway.
I ordered cold beers and was automatically served a small dish of ceviche . Chilled, highly seasoned and drenched in chile and citrus. We ate it with cocktail sticks and plenty more cold beer, the reason it was being given away.
However, once any food is served in a commercial establishment it is subject to the health and safety laws. All freezers must freeze at -18 C . My freezers here in the Philippines hover around -20 C and as soon as I’ve finished restructuring my bar and garden area there will be ceviche in abundance.
It’s unlikely any seafood will be frozen as I visit the local fish market on a regular basis.
Can you comment on using shrimp or scallops in the ceviche? Thanks
Laura: I’ve never heard of anyone getting sick from fresh scallops, but I do freeze my shrimp before making ceviche with them.
So, when you say use frozen fish, do you mean freeze it yourself to get it to hit the -4 degree F? Or do you mean frozen fish from the grocery store is ok to use? Presumably their frozen section of seafood hits this temperature?
Dee: Either. I have a chest freezer that gets that cold.
Yikes! I’d had ceviche in a restaurant, loved it, tried making it back home, loved it, and am now feeling very fortunate to have survived both episodes with only good tastes and memories. I’m a bit freaked out, living too far from the ocean to reasonablly catch and gut, and never quite sure how the fish I buy has been treated. All that said, since ceviche really is good, is there any way to make it with already-cooked fish, without ruining the original fresh fish taste goal? I’m thinking of mixing up all the ingredients except the fish, then baking the fish to safe temperature, then mixing it all up. Suggestions? Ideas? Thanks.
Robert: Just use frozen fish, man! So much easier.
Very informative and well explained! Question: do you thaw the fish before making the recipe?
What’s the correct way of thawing the fish if it needs to be thawed?
Kaylee: Yes, you thaw it. I vacuum seal most of my fish, so I will take the fish out of the bag, put it in a lidded container wrapped in paper towels. As the fish thaws, the paper towels will soak up the moisture given off. I typically need to change the paper towels a couple times. Doing this wicks away smelly liquid and keeps the fish nicer.
Thank you so much for informative article!!! I was just about to jump off the deep end and go for a homemade ceviche brunch after finally trying it for the first time after meaning to do so for years this past Monday. My educational background in pharmacology and biology was sending off red flags in spite of all these recipes out here with no other information so I truly appreciate this information. I was planning on making a dish with Chilean Sea Bass (Patagonia toothfish lol) , Corvina, and cooked shrimp base. My freezer is set to -6 degrees. I just read your article and have put the fish away and was hoping to let the fish sit until next Thursday at the earliest. I plan on using lime juice for 1.5 to 2 hours. Based on the species of these fish- do you think this will be sufficient?
Much Appreciated-
Jennifer
This is great information! Last time I made ceviche, the fish was undercooked, or not enough acid from the lemon, so the whole family got sick! Lesson learned, use real lemons, not lime juice!!!
One of the first food forums I came across addressing the safety issues of eating ceviche! Well done! Ceviche was, as most excellent dishes are, poor man’s food. We recently came across 3 rugged fishermen preparing Ceviche ‘old style’ on a desert beach in Peru, here is the vid https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3jfI5_Tz-k&t=40s
This will be my first time making ceviche, can I make it with tilapia fish? And when I buy the fish should I ask for frozen fish or can I freeze it myself?
Letty: My advice is to buy frozen fish, then thaw it over a day or so in the fridge before making the ceviche.
This is my first time making ceviche and I can’t wait to taste it (mine is in the fridge “cooking”). Can you tell me… does it need to be eaten same day or will it be safe to eat tomorrow as well? I guess by tomorrow it might be pickled?
Thanks!
Rachel: It is much better the day of, but it won’t be harmful the day after.
Making your Ceviche , …I am from a commercial fishing family, dating back to 1894 on the Oregon coast….pickled salmon was a mainstay in our diet from the time we were toddlers. I am using wild caught cod from the Bering Sea.
I have “cooked” the Cod in lime juice for 7 hours. married to homemade garden Salsa, shaIlot’s, garlic and some bits of pineapple …it really tastes wonderful.
Thanks for your recipe. I will be doing it next.
Enjoyed the read! Not my favourite recipe but great nonetheless. My favourites are the Ceviche Tricolor combinations – spicy! I also tried making ceviche in Russia with trout, salmon, radishes, cucumber, green and white onions, garlic, lime and lemons, dill, parsley, hot georgian chilli paste, and just a teeny tiny bit of herring for the salt. Served next to some cooled boiled potatoes or next to some mashed potatoes.
I love making ceviche and appreciate not just the recipe but more importantly the safety guidelines. Being able to follow the freezing instructions confidently means my skeptical wife is happy to eat it too. Thanks Hank.
Wow Hank! Thank you for your clear and instructive post. I’ve enjoyed ceviche dishes several times and have been trying to screw up the courage to make one. I feel like I’m armed for battle now.
I thank you, my stomach thanks you, and the digestive sensibilities of my prospective guests thank you.
Well written and probably medically accurate.
I have heard that you need to freeze well below 10’F.
Don’t forge about rickettsia in seal worms that kill dogs (salmon poisoning).
TomNow MD
mTomNs
maybe just to be safe it’s best to cook the fish for a bit and then let it soak in lime juice? but then it’s not really ceviche anymore…. but its definitely healthier
It’s not actually healthier. But yes, if you cook the fish and then soak, you are less likely to pick up a parasite, but it will no longer be ceviche. It will be closer to escabeche, a different dish.
Can you buy frozen cod (Alaskan) from the regular grocer freezer and use that?
Dawn: Yes, but cod is not a typical ceviche fish.
Did you cook the corn before adding?
Sheka: I don’t.
How do you feel about using northern pike for ceviche?
Cody: If you’ve frozen it for at least 48 hours, it should be safe. But I would never use it without freezing first.
What would happen if the fish is left in the refrigerator overnight? I had some ceviche made from walleyes in Ontario many years ago….
Alabama: You mean leftover ceviche? It’ll be fine, albeit pickled.
Yum!
1. Would one assume that Trader Joe’s /boat frozen Cod has dipped below the required temperature?
2. Any point in quick-poaching or even quick-roasting the Cod (as some do with scallops, squid, etc.) before adding to lime marinade?
KosherChef: I wouldn’t use cod for ceviche. It’s very wormy, comparatively speaking, and it’s flake is very wide, not ideal for ceviche.
Just one thing to add, Peruvian ceviche or cebiche (a preferred spelling by us, Peruvians) never contains tomatoes.
I am making Ceviche for a party as an appetizer does it make a difference if I mix in a plastic bowl verses a metal bowl? Also, if I make a larger amount will all the scallops, fish, and shrimp cook evenly?
This may be a stupid question but do you thaw the fish out before marinating it in the citrus juice?
Nicole: Yes.
I am interested in cubing into small pieces and using that what are your thoughts?
Mark: You should be fine. I often cut the fish into small pieces.
You seem to know a lot about this. I make my own lox from time to time. Is this dangerous?
Leslie: There is a slight risk in curing unfrozen salmon, but it is very slight. I do it all the time.
Great tips Hank. What about sole, is it better to freeze too?
BlueSky: Yes, better to flash freeze. Bottom dwellers, and all that…
Thank you for this information. For freezing the fish do you mean your standard home freezer or flash freezing or deep freezing? I don’t understand the difference. I live in SE Alaska and we are lucky to have halibut frequently. I’d love to try making halibut ceviche and salmon poke but I am so nervous. I made lox with fresh sockeye salmon a few years ago and got sick just as you described in your article. That fish was fresh, never frozen. I won’t do that again! Thanks for your advice!
Erin: Any freezer will do the trick.
Hank –
I got here (belatedly) from the link on your Squid Ceveche post.
Could you trade off lower temperatures for less exposure time? I was wondering how long you would have to freeze your fish for if you packed it in dry ice instead of just in a conventional freezer. (I’ve got some friends who do liquid nitrogen ice cream – there’s cold for you! Not that it would be a practical way to freeze food that cold for long periods.)
– JDBell
Have you ever made ceviche w/ Leapord sharks? What is the best way to prepare Leapords? Thanks Hank, enjoyed you on JRE.
Chris: yes, I have. I do pre-freeze the meat, though. Leopards are good any way you cook them – one of my favorite fish!
why not just parboil the fish? OK, it isn’t the tradition. So what?
Richard: Exactly. Not tradition, but it won’t hurt anything. Just don’t cook too long, or the fish will be mushy.
Im still not clear on the shellfish, scallops in particular. I suppose i should not only ask about parasites in scallops ceviche but raw scallops in general. Disease free?
Rich: AS far as I know, scallops are safe to eat raw when they are harvested from clean water.
Once again, Hank, thank you for sharing your experience.
I love me some sashimi and ceviche but I’ll never get a chance to apprentice under an Itamae. So, its hard for me to learn what species lend themselves to what methods of preparations. Got any books you can suggest?
BTW: The Inuit people up north were known by their neighbors as the Raw Meat Eaters. I think its safe to say most of that raw meat was fish.
Hi Hank,
We catch our fish on the northeast with species such as: porgy, striped bass, fluke, black seabass, bluefish, and sea robin. All of which we have eaten either as ceviche or crudo without freezing. Should we be concerned? I have only found worms once on a fluke which we had cooked. Kinda freaked out now, but also feel like we’ve survived so far? What do you think?
Best,
Robin
Robin: I’d freeze these species, with the exception of bluefish, which is terrible frozen. If you want to get into it, research parasites of those specific fishes and you can be sure. I am betting a few might be relatively parasite free.
I read the basic recipes online, and let the fish sit in the lime juice while I cut up all the onion, cucumber, and tomatoes.
Then I added it all together and covered and put in fridge overnight. My boyfriend said he won’t eat it, due to the fact of bacteria and adding all at once. Can you please tell me if I just did all that for nothing and shouldn’t eat it now?
Melanie: You are fine. I do this all the time.
Another traditional Peruvian component is to have sliced sweet potatoes (the white ones not orange) on the bottom of the dish. My sister-in-law is Peruvian and she insists this is a must. It is actually great because it cuts the heat a little and adds just a tad of sweetness to the dish!
I’ve been told by two senior marine biologists that there are no parasitic marine worms that can survive in humans. Also, even if the worms were alive when you ate them, there’s system little chance they’d survive the human gastric system.
Emeril Lagasse has an outstanding recipe for ceviche. I’ve enjoyed it with pompano, speckled trout, redfish, and shrimp.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/ceviche-recipe2.html
Don: That is sort of correct. The most common, the anasakis, won’t come to term inside you, but it will most definitely make you sick.
I’ve been making ceviche for yrs. I use a mix of scallops, shrimp, cod, and surimi ( I prefer this over crab). Tomatoes, jalapeno, serrano, onion, fresh limes, cilantro. Spicy and flavorful. Serve on crispy tortilla with some sour cream and hot sauce.
The original Peruvian recipe would also include a piece of sweet potato.
Eva: Really? Cool. How would it be cooked?
How about Kokanee ceviche? I’ve always made ceviche from Kokanee out of Donner, Stampede, or Independence. Always fresh, never a problem, and always delicious. But now you have me concerned. Is Kokanee OK if you pre-freeze it?
Kej: I would absolutely pre-freeze it. Tapeworms are a real possibility with those fish. Rare enough to get away with it once in a while, but why play Russian Roulette?
Just an FYI my husband always gives me fresh out water redfish best ceviche ever, no freezing no anything… BEST thing ever just lemon/lime/onions/cilantro/salt pepper/a bit of jalapeño pepper, onions and garlic chives…WOW!!!
i wish i would have read this sooner, so informative. i just bought some previously frozen cod at whole foods. the package just says cod, not codfish or lingcod or anything of that nature. i thawed it in cold water and now it’s bathing in citrus in the refrigerator. i read above that i should be weary of using cod for being wormy, being that it was frozen when purchased, should i be concerned? thanks in advance.
YD: If it is true cod, you will see the little worms. But they will be dead, so you’re fine from a food safety perspective.
If you like a little grapefruit I HIGHLY recommend YUZU. It has a mild flavor . Wonderful.
Got this at Trader Joe’s…the package says wild caught, cod filets previously frozen. But after seeing your link, I put it in my freezer again, thinking that might help. I think I should just forget the ceviche made with cod and go buy another whitefish. I do not eat talapia so what frozen fish do you recommend? Would shrimp be ok, as I’ve seen some recipes using that. Thanks for your reply.
Jacy: Shrimp is a good choice, as would be seabass, yellowfin tuna, yellowtail or snapper.
Just Bought some fresh cod and actually in the process of making my ceviche to have later today. Do I need to freeze the cod overnight and start over tomorrow? I found this link while looking for ceviche recipes. Thanks !!!
Jacy: By “cod,” do you mean actual codfish? Or lingcod? Or rock cod? No one I know of makes ceviche from actual codfish, as they tend to be wormy.
I question if freezing actual kills the parasites, maybe also depends the stage of life cycle of parasite also. I seen frozen black cod with live worms after it was thawed. Probably marine fish would not be a threat to humans since they are specific to the host occupation.
I was curious in the effectiveness of poaching cod briefly before making a ceviche. I poached some Lingcod for approximately five minutes before flaking and marinating it in the lime juice. Ive done it once before and was fine but am suddenly a little unsure. Do you think this method would be or is effective? Thank you!
E. Guzman: I bet that would work, so long as the meat is cooked to the center.
Raw frozen shrimp,3tomatoes seeded and chopped, 1/2 red onion chopped, 3stalks celery,2 cucumbers seeded and peeled,2 jalapeno seeded and chopped, 5 lemons and 5 limes juiced, 2 cups clamato,2 cups spicy v8. Marinate shrimp for 1 hour in lemon and lime juice,mix all other ingredients in large bowl and add shrimp and juices…salt and pepper to taste………..this is an awesome ceviche..friends that say they don’t eat raw fish…well I just say its shrimp cocktail.
With ciguatera poisoning, it doesn’t matter if the fish is cured, frozen or cooked into oblivion. The toxin that causes it still remains and does nasty things. It bio accumulates, so bigger predatory tropical “reef” fish are more likely to contain the toxin. It’s still very rare.
I didn’t find out about it until after a trip to the Yucatán and consuming half a barracuda, one of the higher risk fish. It’s scary, but unless you’re going to swear off grouper, snapper, amberjack, and barracuda, it’s a risk many are willing to take.
I don’t usually buy frozen fish — I just don’t care for its texture after cooking (always seems a little watery). But we love ceviche, so it sounds like I should watch for some on sale?
I do buy frozen shrimp all the time (lean, quick-cooking protein) — do the recommendations about freezing hold for those too? Or is that one I should get live off the boats? What about bay scallops — commercially frozen the way to go??
(my home freezer probably not up to the task)
I’ve eaten snapper ceviche roughly an hour after the fish was pulled from the water…obviously it didn’t kill me or any of the other souls on the boat that ate it, but is this a bad idea? Always out of the Gulf of Mexico.
Hard to say. A lot less parasites that can hurt you in warm seawater, but when it gets too warm you get into cigatura poisoning, which you see a lot with barracuda. Like I said in a previous comment, I’ve done it, and will continue to do so on occasion — but if I were catering or serving to the young or old or a dinner party, I’d freeze the fish first to be safe.
Wish I would have read this post before making last night’s crappie ceviche. Although it was frozen for days inside a block of ice I won’t do that again. Thanks for the information as always Hank!
Thoughts on pickling trout in vinegar? My recipe calls for 2 weeks in the fridge before eating. Will the vinegar for that amount of time kill the worms?
What about curing fish–e.g. gravlax?
I assume the curing process *doesn’t* do the number you want it to on the parasites, but…
I’ve been worried about parasites for a few years–and have all but stopped making gravlax with anything but frozen salmon. And that, really, seems a shame, here in the Bay Area.
Yep. Gravlax won’t kill most parasites. Sorry!
Ceviche is one of my husband’s fav treats, but we don’t make it at home.
This sort of thing is best left to the pros, especially like you said, home freezers don’t reach temps low enough to really kill any of those nasty bugs!
Hank –
Ever try it with Striped Bass? Do you recommend?
Yep. I like striper ceviche!
Ah good old Enterovioform! I’d forgotten that name of what was sort of the golden remedy for things like amoebic dysentery – and killed all the beneficial biota in the intestinal tract.
Great recipe and great information about possible pitfalls. Friends have made a good one using tilapia which now I hope that been well frozen first. If not, we got away lucky. I am partial to shrimp ceviche, which I have made quite a bit.
And finally you and I have disagreed on another possible addition which the Incas apparently never used, and that is including avocado. A local taqueria adds several slices on top of its ceviche tostado. It is a pleasant bland foil to the sharp acidity of the dish. Try it.
Down Under way we make variations like kokoda in Fiji and poisson cru in Tahiti. I know how sick people can become from such as many moons ago and as young medical student armed only with a huge bottle of enterovioform then used [we were en route to feared Mexico!] I had to treat a whole large hotel outside of Papeete and outside medical care as the resident doctor was too drunk after a merry Saturday buffet lunch . . . Some 200 souls and I feared we would lose a few . . .
So you think that commercially frozen fish is adequately frozen for time and temperature both? Thanks.
Yes.
When you recommend “pre-frozen” fish, and also go on to say that many home freezers do not reach the required temperature, then do you mean commercially frozen fish? Thanks.
Yep. But check your freezer: It may very well go down to -4 degrees. A lot of new ones do.
In terms of freshwater fish, would crappie be safe for this recipe? I’m curious why you don’t recommend freshwater fish.
There are just too many parasites going on in freshwater fish that really do well once inside a human GI tract. Most marine parasites don’t accept the human innards, resulting in at worst a case of the shits. Freshwater tapeworm and liver flukes are far nastier. But still, I bet if you froze the hell out of the crappie it’d be OK.
Thanks Hank. I really enjoy the educational side of your postings. While I’ve hunted and fished many long years I continually learn from your writings.
Mine is more of a mixed seafood ceviche and uses 1/3 Snapper, 1/3 Bay Scallops and 1/3 Shrimp. Oh and I also use sweet onion in mine, either Vidalia or Texas 1015; about 1/4 large onion per lb of seafood. But like you said, recipes vary and go with what you enjoy.