Ceviche

Peruvian Kitchen

Martin Morales

Martin Morales has been cooking since he was 11 years old, learning his way around the kitchen with his great-aunts Carmela and Otilia. He may have started cleaning rice and peeling potatoes for his aunties, but now he calls the shots at his restaurants in London. This gorgeous book lets you bring his food into your kitchen.

Morales is the founder of Ceviche Family, a collection of six restaurants, a bakery, a record label, and an art gallery, all celebrating his home country of Peru. He also hosted the YouTube show Martin’s Peruvian Kitchen . He’s pretty much the goodwill ambassador for the fusion powerhouse that is Peruvian food.

Combining native ingredients with flavors and techniques from Spain, Africa, China, Japan, and Italy, Peruvian food is colorful, complex, sometimes spicy, and made up of surprising combinations: a stir-fry with tomatoes and soy, a chicken dish with spaghetti, scallops with parmesan cheese, ceviche with mirin and ginger.

The book opens with a quote from his Aunt Carmela, ‘Aquí se cocina con cariño,’ which means ‘here we cook with loving care.’ That sentiment shines on every page; there is no mention of food with an emotional attachment, a family story, a detail that connects the dish to Peruvian culture or history.

He recounts going to the beach with his father, sitting on the sand, eating ceviche from food stalls. Peru’s national dish, it’s a bold and elegant combination of the freshest fish and a marinade called ‘tiger’s milk’: lime juice spiked with salt and chiles. Along with a handful of recipes for ceviche, the book includes recipes for Peruvian staples like lomo saltado (beef stir-fry), antichuchos de corazón (beef-heart skewers), grilled fish, slow-simmered chicken, and crispy Andean corn, as well as irresistible desserts and cocktails made with the pride of Peru: pisco.

Morales does a bang-up job adapting recipes for home cooks, so they’re easy to make, even if you haven’t been cooking since you were 11. He also recommends substitutions for ingredients that are difficult to find outside Peru. A welcoming host and supportive guide in the kitchen, Morales also embellishes his how-to tips with charming personal stories of his life in the kitchens of Lima and London with friends, family, and food.

I spent as much time as I could on Makaha Beach in Lima, learning to surf and trying to tame the waves. I loved the Pacific Ocean and relished eating all the delicious fish and seafood that came from it. My father would take us to stalls in the nearby district of Chorrillos for ceviche. Sitting on the beach with the sun pounding down on me and my mouth alive with the lime and chile kick of ceviche was as exhilarating as riding the tallest wave. — Martin Morales

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