Ceviche (Fish Marinated in Lime and Lemon Juice)

from the Time-Life Latin American Cookbook

via Dick Lonergan

serves 12

1 cup fresh lime juice

1 cup fresh lemon juice

4 dried Japones chiles, seeded and ground (about 1 generous teaspoon)

2 medium red onions, halved and sliced 1/8 inch thick

1/4 teaspoon finely chopped garlic

1 teaspoon salt

freshly ground black pepper

2 pounds of halibut (or sole or sea bass) fillets, cut into 3/4-inch pieces

1 head butter lettuce, separated into leaves

2 red chiles, seeded and cut lengthwise into 1/8-inch wide strips

In a large glass bowl, mix the juices, dried chiles, onion slices, garlic, salt and a few grindings of pepper. Place the fish in a flat glass or ceramic dish and pour this marinade over it. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours (overnight is better), until the fish is white and opaque. Stir occasionally.

To serve, place lettuce leaves into a cup-shape on each plate. Place a portion of fish on each, together with some of the onion slices and a couple of strips of red chile. Use the marinade as a dressing. Serve at once.

Serve on a colorful plate. In Peru, this dish is traditionally garnished with 1 1/2-inch rounds of warm corn on the cob and 1 1/2 inch-round pieces of warm sweet potatoes or yams. Sue DeVoe, who grew up in Peru, asked us to make this for a Peruvian dinner at her Tahoe house.

Japones are also known as Hontaka, Santaka or Oriental style chile peppers. You can find them in Latin American Markets. Though they're native to Mexico and widely used in Latin American and Caribbean cuisine, they are extremely popular in Japan and China as well. They are hot.