‘Tis the season of fashion weeks and film festivals, which means trying to eat light while still getting copious amounts of protein to keep up stamina. Hence our current love affair with raw fish, specifically South America’s most underrated dish. Ceviche, which can be spelled seviche or cebiche, means fish marinated in the juice of an acidic fruit. Even though this raw fish dish is an old tradition in South America, the modern ceviche has become a globally trendy appetizer and chefs all around the world experiment with it by adding variations of compliments and their own touches of individuality. Here’s our list of the 10 best ceviches in town…
Bent
Some like it hot. If you crave a good kick in your ceviche then this Dundas West restaurant is the place to be. By opting for exciting tang over tongue-scalding heat, two of Chef Susur Lee’s three ceviches – Spicy Tuna and Watermelon Ceviche with Rocoto Chili and Spicy Peruvian Style with Aji Amarillo Chili – pack the perfect amount of heat without going overboard.
Bar Isabel
Bar Isabel likes to do things differently. Case in point: instead of serving ceviche in your typical bite-sized fashion, chef Grant van Gameren stuffs chunks of seasoned fish back together to resemble a whole fish. Mixed with avocado, leeks, cilantro and mint, Bar Isabel’s mouth-watering whole fish ceviche gets bonus points for presentation.
Fishbar
Not only is Fishbar’s Ecuadorian-style ceviche beautiful to look at, but its cool blend of sliced Tilapia, pineapple, chili salsa and avocado oil is truly something else. It’s like putting summer in your mouth.
Cava
Tomatoes, kumquat zest and a light refreshing citrus marinade binds chef Chris McDonald’s creamy smoked Kingfish Ceviche Verde to a tee. Accompanied with crispy tortilla chips and a frisée salad, Cava’s ceviche is beautiful and sophisticated.
Torito
This “little bull” in Kensington serves up a sustainable white bass ceviche with lime juice and olive oil topped with red onions, sweet corn, fresh chili peppers and cilantro. It’s the simplicity of chef Luis Valenzuela’s ceviche that gives it the winning edge.
Valdez
Why choose just one ceviche dish when you can sample five? Chef Steve Gonzalez’s ceviche flight gives your taste buds a tour of all five of his exotic ceviche variations: Passion, Cocktel de Camaron, Atun Japones, Mixto and Vegan. Can we say “one-stop-ceviche-shop”?
Café Boulud
Chef Tyler Shedden’s choice of ingredients in his fluke ceviche is brilliant. There’s the dominant yet delicately tart celery vinaigrette, the cool tapioca pearls, the sweet intervals of crunchy cucumber all topped with a dollop of caviar. It’s an elegant and luscious interpretation of ceviche.
Frida
Looking for more than just fish in your ceviche? If so, Frida has you covered with its Ceviche de Mariscos. A beautiful medley of shrimp, sliced scallops and mussels in a lime marinade all served with a side of thin homemade potato chips, chef Jose Hadad’s mixed seafood ceviche will surely please any seafood aficionado.
Marben
This is no ordinary ceviche, my friends. Chef Rob Bragagnolo’s thick organic corn tortillas cones are filled with daily ceviche, avocado, cilantro, finger lime caviar, tobiko, chilli, and… wait for it… tequila. Yes. Tequila. Fun is clearly an understatement.
Foxley
The Arctic Char ceviche is hands-down our favourite ceviche on Foxley’s menu. Sliced into sashimi-like slices, chef Tom Thai’s yuzu-marinated arctic char is topped with olive oil, spicy miso sauce, sesame seeds and herbs, then finished with a green apple and pickled ginger salad. Its layers of bold flavours and unique textures will titillate even the most seasoned palate.
