MOMUTWORKS^

BY TH STRENK

Ceviche
Cwithout heat. Rawfishis marinated in citrus juices, usually lime or lemon but sometimes sour
EVICHE IS A WAY OF PREPARING FISH AND SELLFISH

orange or grapefruit. The marinade "cooks" the fish, in effect, firming the flesh-much as heat would do. Developed by Pre-Columbian cultures along the coast of Peru, ceviche (or seviche) has gained

popularity throughout Latin America. Accompaniments vary: In Peru, ceviche is traditionally made from corvina (sea bass) and served with slices of boiled potatoes and corn on the cob; Ecuador, which also lays claim to inventing the dish, uses shrimp, crab and clam and often tops it with popped corn; Mexican cooks add chiles, onions and tomatoes to the marinade mixture.

1 . Fish, tike ali edibie proteins, Is composed of iong amino acid chains twisted into threedimensional strands. Peptide chalns-smino acid sequences-are strongly bonded but the proteins' secondary structures that weave the chains together are composed of relatively weak bonds.

2 . Citrus juice is iargeiy citfic seid, a weak organic acid, in iiquid form, acids iiave a iiigh concentration of hydrogen ions.

3 The acid attacks the protein in a process called denaturation. The strongly charged hydrogen ions attract the weak bonds and break apart the protein strands. (Cooking acts in much the same way except that heat energy causes the weak bonds to vibrate then break apart.) As the protein strands unravel, the amino acid chains straighten, which has the effect of firming the fish fiesh.

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