ceviche
Americannoun
Usage
What is ceviche? Ceviche is an appetizer dish consisting of raw fish marinated in citrus juice and including ingredients like peppers, onions, and spices. Popular in South America, ceviche generally features chunked fish marinated in lime juice served with sliced white or red onions and chilies. Sea bass, tuna, and shrimp are common choices for the fish, while lemon or bitter orange juice may be used instead of lime. You may even find vegetarian ceviche, with vegetables like mushrooms or artichokes used instead of fish. As long as the base for the dish is served cold and features citrus curing, it could be referred to as a type of ceviche. Ceviche is also spelled seviche. Example: The restaurant offered Sofia and Carlos complementary scallop ceviche because it was their anniversary.
Etymology
Origin of ceviche
First recorded in 1950–55; from Latin American Spanish (Peru, Ecuador, etc.) cebiche, ceviche, seviche, possibly a derivative of Spanish cebo “fodder, fish pieces used for bait,” from Latin cibus “food”; possibly from Spanish Arabic assukkabāj, from Arabic sikbāj “meat cooked in vinegar,” from unrecorded Middle Persian sikbāg (equivalent to sik “vinegar”+ bāg “food, broth”)
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
For me, this is ideal weeknight cooking: A tostada piled high with ceviche tastes like vacation even when you’re eating it on a Tuesday.
From Salon • Jun. 9, 2026
The beauty of these ingredients is that they don’t require the long citrus soak associated with traditional ceviche.
From Salon • Jun. 9, 2026
In 2024, Mercado La Paloma became best known for its Michelin-star-winning ceviche counter Holbox — and rightly so.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 3, 2025
Furthermore, there's also dishes that must be served cold — like, icy cold: ceviche, poke, crudo, raw oysters, clams on the half-shell and the like.
From Salon • May 30, 2025
He nearly spilled his ceviche all over himself.
From "The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora" by Pablo Cartaya
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
