Cuisine Scene: Ceviche
Ceviche, the vibrant dish of marinated seafood, has become a much loved staple of Long Beach's culinary scene, showcasing the city's diverse cuisines and cultures. Here you can find traditional Peruvian and Mexican styles, where fresh fish meets zesty lime and herbs as well as unique fusions that blend Latin and Japanese influences and techniques. Here are five restaurants leading this delicious coming together of authenticity and innovation, helping to make Long Beach a tasty destination for seafood lovers.
CASA CHASKIS
Casa Chaskis (2380 Santa Fe Ave) boasts an onsite vegetable garden, complete with a functional beehive, where produce like lettuce, kale, broccoli, and onions are grown for use in the kitchen. That produce figures in its refreshing and light take on Ceviche Mixto, combining zesty marinated fish, squid, shrimp and mussels with sweet potato, purple onion, and boiled and roasted choclo (large Peruvian corn). Refreshing and light.
AJI PERUVIAN CUISINE
Aji Peruvian Cuisine’s (2308 E Fourth St) commitment to creative ceviches is clear from their multiple offerings: the Nikkei, combining ahi tuna, ginger, lime aji limo and avocado, the Clasico with halibut leche de tigre, yam and peruvian corn, and its signature Mercado, featuring sea bass, octopus, shrimp, calamari and fried yucca. Located just off of Retro Row’s main drag, Aji offers an atmosphere and menu that is both creative and comforting.
RUTA 15 CEVICHE BAR & MEXICAN KITCHEN
One of 2024’s most anticipated and, ultimately, most exciting additions to the Long Beach food scene, Ruta 15 Ceviche Bar & Mexican Kitchen (1436 E 7th St) combines a passion for traditionally crafted Mexican dishes with innovative ceviche creations. Consider its vegan ceviche made with Portabella mushrooms, marinated in citric acid, tossed with mango, peanuts, and cubes of coconut meat that sit atop an avocado sauce-topped tostada. Yeah.
EL POLLO IMPERIAL
More than a few locals have been introduced to the wonders of Peruvian cuisine–lomo saltado, rotisserie chicken, explosive flavor–by El Pollo Imperial (5991 Atlantic Ave), the city’s oldest Peruvian restaurant. In turn, El Pollo Imperial offers such dishes as its Ceviche Mixto, an amazing amalgam of fresh calamari, shrimp and squid marinated in lime, served with sweet potato, boiled and fried corn with tomatoes. A dish that is both light, bursting with flavor, heat and crunch.
SUSHI NIKKEI
Many people who come to the Michelin-recommended Sushi Nikkei (3819 Atlantic Ave/5020 Second St) expect amazing Peruvian takes on sushi and sashimi–which they certainly get–and are amazed to find their favorite item is Peruvian ceviche that brings together the catch of the day, sweet potato puree in tiger milk and aji amarilo sauce. It’s the delicious tartness of a citrus-based marinade, combined with the sweet potato and heat of the aji amarillo, that makes this an absolute showstopper.
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