Ceviche: Peruvian sushi

When travelling, it's important to practise 'immersion' - to embrace the culture of the country you're in with gusto. Med and I do this most successfully with food, food and, "si, por favor," more food. 

In Nepal, we fueled our treks with three platefuls of dal bhat in one sitting; in Vietnam, we ignored food hygiene and ate our meals at street-side, pho bo joints; and in New Zealand we made sure to tuck into the "culturally significant" fush 'n' chups and hokey pokey ice cream.

And we are addictive with our cutural food following, looking forward to the next meal as we are still polishing off lunch.

Ceviche starter before huge segundo (main)

South America has been a blur of double-carb meals (sometimes triple, finding endless ways of combining white rice, pasta and potatoes in one dish) and meat. It's been cheap, hearty and indulgent, and Peru was no different.

Through streets of graffiti covered buildings, along the choppy waterfront dotted with surfers, petting stray dogs along the way, we'd make our way for the Peruvian delicacy of ceviche.

Lunch had never been so decadent.

Ceviche (or cebiche - the letters 'v' and 'b' in Spanish are often interchangeable) is the go-to lunch dish in Peru, a refreshing mixture of fish that is 'cooked' by marinating it in citrus juice paired with sides of cancha (toasted corn kernels), boiled sweet potato and yuca (root vegetable). It can also be prepared with shrimp, prawns, squid, octopus, and more.

When lunch hour hits, the cevicherias located on the sea fronts of Huanchaco and Mancora (north west Peru) start their rush, many not even staying open for dinner.

Local ingredients and quick preparation make this national dish available in the most polished, fine-dining establishments around or at the stands in the food market when you're in a hurry and dining on a few Soles.

This dish has been around for centuries; early recipes stem from the Inca Empire that preserved their fish in salt, fruit juice and chiles.

Approach with caution - make sure you share!

There are hundreds of variations of ceviche recipes to try - households throughout South America have their own unique take on this traditional dish. But in general the core elements of the recipe remain steadfast: using citrus juice to “cook” fresh fish.

We had a sun-kissed, whirlwind romance with the dish, Med even mentally-penning a song about how much he loved it - the highlight of which was the line "Ceviche, ceviche, I want you in my tummy."

Yes, Simon Cowell has already been on the phone.

Try it with this simple, Peruvian recipe - it won't disappoint.

Editor's note: since writing this blog post, Med and I had a blow out ceviche eating session on our last night in Peru, proving you can have too much of a good thing. So approach with caution: don't eat 5kg of the stuff in one sitting.