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Island Ceviche

A chilled fish ceviche made with lime, lemon, and orange juices, salt, pepper, and thinly sliced pompano and mahi‑mahi.

From the Wikibooks Cookbook · 7 ingredients
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Why it works: Lime and lemon match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,289 recipes. Both carry beta-phellandrene, which smells minty, terpene. The science ↓

Island Ceviche

Timeovernight

Ingredients

Directions

  1. Combine juices, salt, and pepper.

  2. Pour into a gallon-size zip-top bag and add fish.

  3. Refrigerate overnight.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

91Calories
2 gProtein
0 gFat
24 gCarbs
What these numbers assume: 5 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Orange1 medium (131g)62
Lemonjuice of 1 lemon (48ml)12
Limejuice of 1 lime (44ml)11
Black Pepper1 tsp ground (2.3g)6
Salt1 tsp (6g)0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Wikibooks Cookbook.

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Lime + lemontop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together1,289 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).

  2. Lemon + orangetop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together10,634 recipes

    Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).

  3. Lime + peppertop 2% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together3,491 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).

  4. Lemon + peppertop 3% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together27,047 recipes

    Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).

  5. Lime + orangetop 4% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together937 recipes

    Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Lime juice
Acid that firms and opaquely whitens the fish proteins, giving ceviche its cooked-looking texture.
Lemon juice
Adds acidity that firms the fish surface and brightens the overall flavor.
Orange juice
Adds sweetness that balances the sharp citrus acidity.
Pompano fillet
Main fish that is firmed and whitened by the citrus marinade.
Mahi-mahi fillet
Second main fish that is firmed and whitened by the citrus marinade.

The step that matters

Overnight refrigerated marinating. The citrus acid slowly denatures the fish proteins, so the fish must be fully submerged and kept cold. Too short a time leaves it raw and soft, while too long can make it tough and rubbery.

Swap the orange

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (lime, lemon, pepper):

  1. Avocadofits about as well
  2. Orangethe original
  3. Mangofits about as well
  4. Blueberryfits less well

Fit is the average pairing score against lime, lemon, pepper. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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