The Gwinners: Nat'l Ceviche Day

Yesterday was National Ceviche Day in Peru. Now, ceviche is one of our favorite lunch dishes. It consists of raw fish or seafood that is marinated in lime juice with onions and aji (hot pepper). The acid "cooks" the fish, so that it has a light but firm texture. Ceviche is also served with a variety of other sauces that may involve olive oil, squid ink, or mayonaise.

Lima has some of the best ceviche around, because of the availability of very fresh fish. Locals will only eat ceviche for lunch, and most cevicherias are only open until 4-5 in the afternoon. After that, the fish is no longer considered to be fresh enough.

Most of the best ceviche comes from very small restaurants along the beach or in the less fancy neighborhoods of Lima. It's also frequently available during the upbiquitous festivals around town, when they set up food stalls, tables, and chairs - often accompanied by live music.

You can also get delicious ceviche in some of the tonier restaurants, particularly along one street here in Lima that runs parallel to the ocean and is called La Mar ("mar" or sea is masculin in Spanish, but the street is named for a military leader named La Mar). There is a restaurant called La Mar, which is one of our favorites. It is one of a number of great restaurants founded and run by Gaston Acurio, the guy who is largely responsible for putting Peruvian food on the world gastronic map. Another favorite is called Pescado Capitales, a play on words with the term for mortal sins.

For National Ceviche Day, we headed to the pier in Chorillos, a beachside neighborhood on the southern side of Lima, where food stands and a big stage had been erected for the celebration.