People in South America like eating raw fish and there are many dishes made of it.
If you also like dishes made of raw fish, then you have probably heard of ceviche.
Today we are going to talk about this South American dish and we are going to answer many questions related to it.
First of all we have to say that ceviche is a dish that is made of raw fish or seafood.
Actually, raw seafood and fish are marinated in citrus juices, which gives them special flavour and texture.
This dish is typical for South America and Spain, but it is also prepared in many other parts of the world and it is usually used as an appetizer.
If you have ever prepared ceviche at home or if you are planning to do that in the near future, then you must be wondering how long this seafood specialty can last.
It is known that dishes prepared of raw fish cannot last as long as some other dishes prepared of lamb or beef, for example.
If you continue reading this text, you will get the answer to this question.
In short, we can tell you that ceviche can last only 2 hours at room temperature or 2 days if you store it in the fridge.
Later in this text we are going to tell you more about that and also how to store ceviche properly. We are going to explain you the way in which this dish is cooked, too.
If you have ever tried this South American dish made of raw fish or seafood, then you certainly know what kind of a dish it is and how delicious it can be.
However, if you haven’t tasted ceviche yet, after reading this text you will definitely want to try it, and maybe even make it yourself, especially if you like raw fish.
However, before we tell you how long ceviche can last and how you can store it in the right way, we are going to explain you what ceviche actually is and what ingredients it contains.
What Is Ceviche?
As we have already said, it is a dish made of raw seafood and fish. It is made with fresh vegetables and fruits as well as with citrus juices.
There are a couple of interesting things related to ceviche.
This dish is cooked without any heat. For cooking this dish we can use only acidic juices and marinate raw fish in it.
Actually, the proteins in the fish will be ,,cooked’’ by the acid.
This dish is definitely not cooked in a traditional way, because there is no heat in cooking.
Citrus juices are used for cooking and they will give fish moisture and great flavour.
As there is no heating in the process of preparing ceviche, then you should know that bacteria and parasites may stay in fish.
Because of that we recommend you to buy seafood of high quality if you want to prepare ceviche.
Best types of fish that can be used for preparing ceviche are snapper, sea bass or halibut, but grouper can also be an excellent choice for this dish.
As we have said, you can use not only fish, but also some other seafood, like shellfish, shrimp or octopus.
When we talk about shellfish, the best choice will be crabs that will give unforgettable flavour to this South American specialty.
When it comes to vegetables, we can use onions, cucumbers and tomatoes. All these vegetables can be a great addition to raw fish and seafood.
If you have prepared ceviche on your own and if you want to serve it, we recommend you to use some avocado slices and to put it on the top of your dish.
It will certainly improve its flavour even more.
Also, it is good to know that you can serve ceviche in combination with tortilla chips made of corn.
It will be a perfect combination and a great meal that everyone will enjoy.
Now when you know what ceviche is and what ingredients you need to prepare it, we are going to tell you a couple of things about its health benefits.
We all know that fish and other seafood are very healthy, so there is no doubt that ceviche is also very beneficial for our health.
Health Benefits of Ceviche
Ceviche is generally a very healthy dish that contains a large amount of nutrients.
Ceviche has also many health benefits and we are going to mention a couple of them.
First of all we have to say that if you eat ceviche, you will digest it without any problems.
This dish is easy to digest and you don’t have to worry.
It will even improve your digestion and eliminate some digestive problems that you used to have before.
Also, it is important to know that fish contains large amounts of omega 3 fatty acids, which is very important for cardiovascular health.
There is no doubt that ceviche is great food for the health of your heart.
People who eat ceviche usually don’t have any cardiovascular problems.
Some studies have also shown that ceviche can reduce the risk of a heart attack.
Another health benefit of ceviche is that it will help you eliminate toxins from your body. Ceviche is rich in vitamins and minerals that we need in order to stay healthy.
Some of the most important vitamins and minerals that can be found in ceviche are vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin E, vitamin K, potassium, selenium, iodine and zinc.
Ceviche will boost your immunity and protect you from many diseases.
Of course, if you want to feel all these benefits that we have mentioned, ceviche should be a part of your diet.
If you like raw fish, we recommend you to eat ceviche more often because it can bring you many health benefits.
It is time now to answer the most important question and that is how long ceviche can last.
How Long Can Ceviche Last?
If you want to know the exact answer to this question, it would be about 2 hours.
Yes, it is safe to keep ceviche at room temperature only 2 hours.
Otherwise, it will not be safe to eat and you can throw it away.
Actually, a marinade needs about half an hour to cook the fish and after that you should eat ceviche.
You should not wait too long after marinating, because fish may change its texture and also its taste if it stays more than 2 hours in the marinade.
Because of that we recommend you to eat ceviche immediately after marinating or in the next 2 hours.
The quality of ceviche is best in the first 30 minutes after preparing this dish, so we recommend you not to wait too long before you eat it.
In the following chapter we are going to tell you what to do if you have some leftovers of ceviche.
Most important is not to keep it at room temperature too long.
We are going to explain you how you can store this seafood dish and keep it safe for eating.
How Can You Store Ceviche?
As we have already said, it is best to serve ceviche immediately after marinating.
This way the taste of ceviche and also its texture will be the best.
But, what to do if you have prepared too much of this dish and you cannot eat all of it?
In this case we recommend you to put ceviche in the fridge.
It is safe to keep ceviche refrigerated and this way it can last around 2 days.
However, it is important to know how to refrigerate ceviche properly.
Actually, you need to pour off the marinade from the ceviche first.
It is recommended to remove as much marinade as you can before putting ceviche in the fridge.
After that you can transfer the leftovers of ceviche into the airtight container and to place it in the fridge.
As we have said, if you store ceviche in the fridge, you should eat it within 2 days.
When you take the ceviche out of the fridge, it is good to add some citrus juice in it in order to give your dish moisture and better flavour, because you have already removed the marinade from ceviche.
However, you should know that after you take the ceviche out of the fridge, its taste will never be the same as it was in the beginning.
It will certainly change its taste a little bit.
Also, it will change its texture, but if you add some citrus juice in it, it could be appealing to eat.
However, most important is that it will be safe to eat in the next 2 days.
Although it is safe to keep ceviche in the fridge, it is always the best option to eat it immediately after preparing it.
This way you will have the chance to feel its full flavour and enjoy its moist and juicy texture.
Can You Freeze Ceviche?
Now when you know that ceviche cannot last too long at room temperature and that you can keep it only two days in the fridge, we are going to suggest you another way to store it and it is freezing.
Yes, you can freeze ceviche and extend its shelf life this way.
If you freeze ceviche, you will not need to eat it within 2 days, but you are going to extend its shelf life to 2 or 3 months.
However, there are some rules that you have to follow if you decide to freeze ceviche.
First of all it is important to remove all the marinade from ceviche and to separate the solid ingredients.
After that you should take plastic bags and place the fish in them.
It is important to remove the air from these bags.
Now your ceviche is safe and you can put it in the freezer.
As we have already mentioned, this South American dish will last around 2-3 months if it is frozen.
You should use it within this period of time, in order to avoid that it goes bad.
When you decide to eat ceviche that is frozen, you should take it out of the freezer and you should add some lemon juice or lime before you eat it.
Lemon juice will improve the texture of this dish and it will also give it special acidic flavour that it had before.
But, you should know that after freezing, ceviche will never reach the texture and the flavour that it had before.
Even though you freeze ceviche in the right way, the quality of this dish will not be the same.
Because of that many people recommend not to freeze ceviche. It is on your own to decide if you are going to freeze it or not.
How to Know If Ceviche Has Gone Bad?
As we have already said, you should not let your ceviche stay longer than 2 hours at room temperature and longer than 2 days in the fridge.
If you don’t eat ceviche within that period of time, it will change its texture and it will become mushy.
Also, it can easily go bad.
Actually, the citric acid in ceviche will break down the proteins that are contained in fish. Because of that ceviche can easily go bad.
If ceviche has gone bad, you will see that its texture has changed and most important is that it will have a different smell than before.
A bad smell of ceviche will be caused by bacteria and some fish enzymes.
It will be a clear sign that you didn’t eat ceviche in time and because of that it has gone bad.
Another sign that your ceviche has gone bad is its grey colour.
The fish that is used for making ceviche has usually a white colour, so if you notice that its colour has changed and that it is gray, it could be also a sign that ceviche has spoiled and it is best not to eat it.
There is another sign that will tell you clearly that ceviche is not good to eat. It is mold.
If you notice any mold on your dish, you should discard it immediately because it is poisonous.
However, we have told you how long this dish can last and we hope you will use it within that period and you will not let it spoil.
We are going to tell you now if there are some negative effects that can be caused by consuming ceviche.
Side Effects of Eating Ceviche
Ceviche is generally safe to eat and people of all ages can enjoy it.
There is no doubt that ceviche is very healthy and it contains a lot of nutrients.
Another good thing is that you will digest ceviche easily and it will not cause any digestive problems to you.
But, most important is to eat ceviche fresh, or in the next two hours after cooking it.
If you eat ceviche that has gone bad, it could lead to many health issues.
Not only will this cause digestive problems, but it can also cause food poisoning, which can be very dangerous.
If you notice any of the signs that your ceviche has gone bad, you should throw it away.
It is known that raw fish can cause many health issues to pregnant women.
They should never consume raw fish, especially in the first three months of pregnancy.
Raw fish contains bacteria, which could lead to many dangerous symptoms, such as diarrhea, fever, headache, dehydration, confusion, etc.
In more serious cases bacteria from raw fish can even cause health problems to newborns, such as problems with heart and kidneys, brain problems, blindness, seizures and even death.
Because of that you should never consume dishes made of raw fish when you are pregnant.
According to that, we can also say that ceviche is not safe for pregnant women and it should never be eaten during pregnancy.
If you love dishes made of raw fish, then you will certainly try to make this specialty at home.
We have told you how to prepare it and how to store it properly, so we hope that this text was useful and interesting for you.
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