12 Bright Ceviche Recipes

This classic ceviche recipe makes a perfect party appetizer because it's easy to prepare and can be marinated a day ahead. Celebrated chef Rick Bayless combines fish with lime and spicy chiles, then piles the mixture on tortilla chips for a no-fuss presentation. The recipe is equally delicious with snapper, halibut or other fresh fillets with mild flavor.

With only a few ingredients, Rick Bayless's salpimentado (salt-and-pepper) ceviche is typical of what one would find at stands around the southern tip of Baja. Cooks often make it with sierra, a large and meaty Mexican fish, but tuna works just as well.

Aguachile (chile water) is a vibrant sauce made with fresh chiles, herbs and cucumbers that’s fantastic on any type of fish or shellfish. Chef David Goody serves aguachile with thinly sliced scallops that have been just cured in fresh lime juice.

Peruvian corn has been cultivated for at least 3,000 years. An especially starchy variety, the corn is a little hard to find in the US but well worth seeking out for this recipe—it beautifully balances the sharp, acidic ceviche marinade.

A refreshing starter or light main course, Sang Yoon's Thai take on a Latin American classic is a perfect balance of crunchy, tender, sweet, hot and tart.

Allen Susser prefers to use firm white-fleshed fish like red snapper and grouper, as well as conch and rock shrimp, for ceviches, because they keep their shape well. "Dice the fish into uniform pieces, so they cook evenly in the citrus juice," he advises.

Chef Victoriano López makes this recipe with ají limo paste, a Peruvian ceviche staple made from tiny ají chiles.

Peruvian ceviches often include choclo, a type of large, chewy corn that can be hard to find in the States. Fresh sweet corn, though less typical, makes a fine substitute.

This ceviche is great on top of tostadas or eaten like poke as an appetizer. And the best part is that you can make the salsa ahead of time, and just stir it together with the remaining ingredients just before you’re ready to eat. But no matter what you serve it on, once you make and taste your first salsa macha, it will earn its place in the corner of your fridge forever.

David Frenkiel and Luise Vindahl love to marinate vegetables in a bright, fresh lime juice dressing, just like other cooks would prepare fish for ceviche. In the winter, they give sprouts the ceviche treatment. In summer, they toss the dressing with fresh corn, shelling beans, tomatoes and nectarines.

The extra tang in the ceviche marinade comes from an unexpected ingredient: juice from pickled jalapeños.

After you’ve nailed this classic ceviche, have fun playing with different add-ins, toppings, and chips for dipping to create your own signature style.