This Peruvian classic can be a simple mixture of lime juice, chilli and salt poured over fish and fruit. It appears to “cook” the fish in minutes, turning it from translucent to opaque. What actually happens is that the proteins are denatured by the acid of the citrus fruit juice, giving the fish a cooked texture.

As the fish is not cooked with any heat, it is really important that the fish is “sushi-grade” fresh and safe to eat or that is has been commercially frozen at -20°C (-4°F) as this kills any possible parasites. This is difficult to do in a domestic freezer, but a good fishmonger can do this for you and a lot of fish sold in supermarkets has been previously frozen.

Fruit such as grapes, peach or mango are usually added to ceviche to give a welcome sweetness after the punchy citrus and salt. Lime is sometimes replaced with acidic passionfruit. Tropical fruits are high in carbs and so we usually avoid them, but we have used a minimal quantity here; any remaining mango can be cut into cubes and frozen for use another day. Do taste your chilli so that you know how much to add. It is disappointing to not have enough of a kick of heat and overpowering to have too much!