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Lime is widely used in cuisines around the world, and is popular for cooking, making drinks, sorbet and baked goods, such as lime cupcakes or lime Victorian sponge cake. The fruit is known for its fresh, fragrant, tangy flavor, round shape and vibrant green skin, and it is valued for its high concentration of vitamin C.

In Indonesian cuisine, lime is used for a number of dishes but it is not really a significant ingredient. There are several sour citrus alternatives such as calamansi, or Chinese lemon, kaffir lime, tamarind and asam kandis, or dried wild mango.

In South American cuisine, lime is used for its pickling qualities in ceviche, a dish of marinated raw fish with salt, red onion, chilies and coriander leaves. The citric acid of the lime juice changes the texture of the raw fish, making it more firm, as if it had been cooked with heat (although the lime juice alone will not kill parasites in the fish). The classic Japanese raw fish dish sashimi has a different texture than ceviche because the flavors are dominated by soy sauce and wasabi.

I think it’s important to utilize the lime to enhance the fresh, raw qualities of the fish with a spicy, sour and aromatic flavor.

For this week’s recipe, I present ceviche with salmon and ripe sweet mango. Enjoy!

Salmon and Mango Ceviche

There are many contemporary takes on this dish, but traditionally ceviche is made using sea bass, though you can use any fish you like. It’s shouldn’t be too difficult to find sashimi-quality salmon, tuna or white snapper in your local Japanese supermarket. You can also replace the fish with prawns. The mango will give the dish a bit of sweetness that will balance the sour lime taste. Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

500 grams sashimi-quality fish (salmon, tuna or white snapper); 200 milliliters fresh lime juice; juice of 1 orange; 4 curly red long chilies; 3 bird’s eye chilies (optional for spice); 75 grams shallots, peeled and thinly sliced, or 1 large red onion, peeled and thinly sliced lengthwise; 2 medium harum manis mangos, peeled and sliced into small squares; a small bunch of fresh coriander leaves, finely chopped; salt and black pepper to taste.

Directions:

1.Cut the fish into bite-size pieces about a 1/4 centimeter thick and 1 centimeter in length. Remember that the larger and thicker the pieces, the longer it will take to marinate.

2.Transfer the fish into a glass bowl and season with plenty of salt. Then add the lime and orange juice. Add 3/4 of the sliced shallots or onions and 3/4 of the chilies and mix well.

3.Chill the bowl in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour before making the ceviche, or marinate for only 5-10 minutes before serving (however, if you do this, you may not get the texture of traditional ceviche).

4.In the meantime, prepare the mango. Slice and cut the flesh into small squares around 1/2 centimeter by 1/2 centimeter and chill.

5.Add the chilies, coriander leaves shallots before serving and season with black pepper. Mix well.

6.Transfer the mixture to a large serving plate or divide the mixture into 4 to 6 portions. Serve immediately with roasted sweet potatoes or plain tortilla chips.