How to make Ceviche

I headed over to Rosa's house this morning with my notebook and camera looking a bit like a reporter or journalist ready for my lesson on making ceviche. I get there and was informed that we had to go the school first to watch a children's performance of some kind. Turns out it's a holiday called "day of the child", They had a holiday yesterday too, I believe it had something to do with a long ago president Bonito Juarez, I believe is what my vegetable guy told me a few days ago. I asked if he was going to take a day off and he laughed and said that he needs to eat everyday. I think it's interesting how the people here always mention needing to eat in reference to working whereas we mention our mortgage payments in reference to working.
On the way to the school we see trailers being decorated for a parade I am guessing.

 At the school we stood around and watched what I am guessing was organized chaos for quite some time and then it was decided we didn't have time for this and so we headed home. On our way home we meet the fruit stand guy and buy a baggie of fruit and a baggie of horchata for the kids.

Now are ready to make Fish Ceviche, here is your shopping list;

3 kilos ground fish, you can buy fresh fish here at the fish market on the Island and they will put it through a meat grinder, just like making hamburger.
3 kilos limes
3 kilos shredded carrots, you can buy already shredded carrots at the fish market on the other side of the dock....have no idea why they don't do it on this side, or you can shred it yourself, might build some biceps or loose some skin on your fingers.
1 shredded onion
cilantro, according to your taste
serrano peppers, according to your taste

After you've washed your limes you squeeze them limes into a sieve to catch the seeds and then into your ground fish like so

Limes sitting in water

Squeezing limes into your fish

Once your limes are all squeezed in you mash in with a potato masher like so. Oh and, when you accidentally squirt lime juice in your eye you say "yi chiiiiihuahua !" The kids taught me that.

The you let it sit for about 3-4 hours, Rosa told me when she made this in the US she has to let it sit for about 6-8 hours because the limes there were not as strong, so I imagine it would be the same in Canada. She said if she gets a batch of limes that are very strong she will only let it sit for an hour. The lime cooks the fish.....it pickles it I guess. Alway use a plastic or glass bowl for this, never aluminum or any kind of metal, something to do with the acid from the lime....I didn't get what exactly.
Once it has sat for the amount of time that you need you put in your carrots, onions and peppers and cilantro. Add salt according to your taste as well.

Shredding the onion

3 kilos of fine shredded carrots

Big handful of  cilantro 

Dicing the Serrano peppers

The colors are so pretty

Opps I forgot to add this in the beginning, Rosa likes to pour in the juice from a can of jalapeños, this is done right after you've put your limes in.

Everyone has their favorite way of eating this, some put some mayonesa on the tostada first, some like Catsup....yikes, I can't imagine. I like it just layed on thick on the tostada. It is also served on the street with a thick wafer like cracker, which I can't remember the name for, I do prefer it on  that instead of the tostada. 

There you have it. This can be made with canned tuna, you just put in lime to taste because the tuna is already cooked or you can omit it altogether.
They make it here very often with shrimp as well, you just buy ground shrimp at the market and add;
Tomato
onions
garlic
cilantro
chili peppers
salt and pepper
lemons (equal amount to shrimp)
no carrots in the shrimp version.

Enjoy, I sure did......don't forget to say "yi chiiiihuahua" at least once.