Ceviche from Sazon
One of the bright spots in the Sonoma County restaurant scene last year was the influx of pan-Latin eateries, including the warm and inviting Sazon, a Peruvian restaurant at 1129 Sebastopol Road that showcases authentic ceviches and sopas, antichuco appetizers and entrees made with the country’s famous seafood, pepper sauces and potatoes.
The only downside of dining at Sazon is that it is tiny. Sazon’s father-son owners Juan Luis Navarro and Juan Jose Navarro Calvo-Perez hope to remedy that situation this spring by adding a patio out front with additional tables and umbrellas.
Meanwhile, Navarro plans to launch a Peruvian-Mexican “Pemex” food truck on Corby Avenue the first week of January 2012. The truck will be parked directly across from the Department of Motor Vehicles and serve lunch and dinner from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. daily.
Peru makes some of the best ceviches in the world, according to Navarro, who serves six different ceviches at Sazon. Here’s a recipe for a Traditional Ceviche from the Taste of Peru Culinary Tours, sent to me by Josie Gay of Healdsburg after she returned from a whirlwind tour of Peru this fall. In the U.S., aji limi is sold in cans in Latin Markets, but fresh is always best. You may have to substitute key limes from Florida and settle for one type of sweet potato.
Traditional Ceviche
2 pounds seabass
7 ounces red onion
1 red aji limo
1 yellow aji limo
20 Peruvian key limes
Salt
Lettuce of choice
6 ice cubes
2 yellow sweet potatoes
2 purple sweet potatoes
2 sweet “Serrano” ears of corn, cut into pieces and boiled
.2 ounces anis liqueur
.7 ounces sugar
Cut the fish in cubic pieces of 1 inch and place them in a glass bowl. Cut the onions in thin, long slices and rinse it along with the fish , at least twice. Then add the aji limo. To get the best color, use both yellow and red aji limo. To prepare the aji limo, carve the inside of the aji, making sure to take out all the seeds. Add the salt, mix, then add the ice cubes and immediately squeeze the Peruvian key limes over the mixture. Take out the ice cubes.
Serve in a rimmed soup bowl with a spoon. Add lettuce, a slice of yellow and purples potato, and the cooked corn, which has been boiled in water with the anis, sugar and salt for 15 minutes, cooled int eh same water it was boiled. Eat with a stainless steel spoon, so you can enjoy the juices.
