Ceviche is a popular dish in Latin America and is often provided as an appetizer. It’s packed with tangy, spicy, and fresh flavors and is primarily made of raw fish, shellfish, and spices. As the dish’s main elements are raw, many feel anxious when trying ceviche; however, the bright flavors make up for the initial qualms.
Moreover, the experience is better when you try ceviche with the best side dishes. They help elevate the food and make it tastier. This article offers some classic side dishes for ceviche, like tortilla chips, crackers, and tostada, read on to discover more!
1. Air Fryer Tortilla Chips
A classic tandem to ceviche is tortilla chips. The two are perfect together because you can treat the ceviche like a dip. You can dig in with a chip, load it with some fresh fish and spices, and feel the combined crunchiness and freshness in your mouth. Tortilla chips are available ready-made, but you can make them at home using an air fryer, so it’s less oily.
2. Baked Plantain Chips
Plantain chips are a typical side dish for ceviche, but they’re pretty underrated and less known outside Latin America. Thus, if you want to serve something new, try making this recipe! You also won’t have to worry about overly oily chips because these are baked and use only a small amount of avocado oil. They’re also crunchy and only slightly salty.
3. Crackers
Crackers, such as saltines or Ritz, are well-recommended with ceviche because, like the other chips, you can use ceviche as a topping. But if you prefer homemade, preservative-free crackers, try this recipe instead of hitting the store. These crackers are crispy, crunchy, and light and topped with your favorite seeds, which can be poppy, sesame, or fennel.
4. Baked Tostada Shells
These tostadas are similar to the air fryer tortilla chips because they’re also made from tortillas. Such shells are usually deep-fried or toasted, but for this recipe, you’ll be baking them, so they’re healthier, less oily, but still as crunchy. They come out as flat, circular disks, unlike triangular chips. People usually top them with taco meat and toppings, but they’re great with ceviche.
5. Flour Tortillas
If you aren’t too fond of crunchy and crispy textures, you can also fill soft flour tortillas with ceviche. You can use the ready-made or store-bought ones, but nothing beats the quality of homemade soft shells. Moreover, they aren’t too hard to make, so that extra effort is worth it. They’re best while warm, so serve them with your ceviche immediately, or microwave them once they get cold.
6. Rice
Others enjoy ceviche on top of warm, fluffy rice, so try that! Getting the rice perfectly cooked may seem daunting, but it’s effortless, especially when you get the hang of it. After all, all you need is rice, water, a tiny bit of salt, and the impeccable rice-to-water ratio. You can also try using a rice cooker for convenience!
7. Crostini
Ceviche on top of crispy bread, like crostini, is also a unique way to enjoy such a fresh dish. The bread absorbs a bit of the bright juices, and the crispiness contrasts with the tenderness of the seafood. Crostini is also easy and quick to make, as you’ll be using available bread, like a baguette. You’ll slice the bread, brush it with olive oil, then bake until perfectly crisp and brown!
8. Corn on the Cob
To bring some sweet juiciness to your ceviche, you can have it with a corn cob on the side. Corn in its different forms – roasted, grilled, kernels, and cob – is a classic complement to ceviche. Some even mix popcorn into ceviche to incorporate exciting textures. But corn on the cob is a good and familiar option if you want something less novel and more traditional.
9. Boiled Sweet Potatoes
Sweet potatoes are a popular crop in Latin America and are served with various dishes, including ceviche. There are many ways to prepare it, but the safest and most classic would be by boiling it. Boiling makes the crop tender but firm enough to have a shape. You can then slice the cooked sweet potatoes into wedges and serve them beside the ceviche.
10. Avocado Sauce
Ceviche is often served with avocados – some top it with wedges, place it on the hollowed-out part of the fruit, or combine it with cubed avocados. Some also like it with guacamole, a famous avocado-based dip. Thus, it’s hardly surprising that such a dish would go well with avocado sauce. Some also use the sauce for fancy plating or smearing, which helps elevate the ceviche upon serving.
11. The Best Spanish Gazpacho
Gazpacho is a popular appetizer, just like ceviche, so you might have encountered the two served together. Both have bright, acidic flavors, as gazpacho is primarily made of ripe red tomatoes. These tomatoes are pureed, along with Italian peppers, cucumber, onions, garlic, olive oil, sherry vinegar, and salt. It is often served in small glasses, although some have it in bowls, too.
12. Mango Salad with Lime
Besides avocado, another fruit people enjoy a lot with ceviche is mango. Some have it in dice or wedges combined with the ceviche. But if you want to keep it on the side, you can make an excellent salad. Besides mangos, this salad recipe has bell peppers, cucumbers, mint, lime, honey, and other ingredients. Thus, it can match the ceviche’s acidity.
13. Cucumber Salad
If you prefer to highlight tangy flavors and minimize sweetness, swap your mango salad for this cucumber salad. It’s refreshing and acidic, as thin cucumber slices are combined with red wine vinegar, kosher salt, sugar, and water. Preparation takes only 25 minutes, although 10 minutes is spent refrigerating the salad, so it’s chilled when served.
