Crispy Fried Fish Chunks (Chicharrón de Pescado)
Bite-sized pieces of firm white fish are marinated in lime juice and garlic, dusted with a crisp flour-and-cornstarch coating, and deep-fried until deeply golden. Served hot with lime wedges and tangy salsa criolla, it's a classic starter in Peru's cevicherías.
Servings
Ingredients
Nutrition
Per serving
Steps
Marinate the fish
Pat the fish chunks dry and toss them in a bowl with the lime juice, garlic, salt and pepper. Let them sit at room temperature for 15 minutes; the lime juice firms the flesh and seasons it right through.
- 600 g fish chunks
- 2 limes, juiced
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
✅ Done when: the fish has turned slightly opaque at the edges and smells bright and citrusy
Make the salsa criolla
Slice the onion as thin as you can, then rinse it briefly under cold water and shake dry; this takes away the raw bite and keeps the slices crisp. Mix with the lime juice, chili, cilantro and a pinch of salt, and let it rest while you fry the fish.
- 1 red onion
- 1 lime, juiced
- 1 or chili
- 2 tbsp cilantro
- to taste salt
✅ Done when: the onion looks slightly translucent and smells fresh, not sharp
Coat the fish
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Heat the oil
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Fry in batches
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Drain and serve
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Marinate the fish
Pat the fish chunks dry and toss them in a bowl with the lime juice, garlic, salt and pepper. Let them sit at room temperature for 15 minutes; the lime juice firms the flesh and seasons it right through.
- 600 g fish chunks
- 2 limes, juiced
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
✅ Done when: the fish has turned slightly opaque at the edges and smells bright and citrusy
Make the salsa criolla
Slice the onion as thin as you can, then rinse it briefly under cold water and shake dry; this takes away the raw bite and keeps the slices crisp. Mix with the lime juice, chili, cilantro and a pinch of salt, and let it rest while you fry the fish.
- 1 red onion
- 1 lime, juiced
- 1 or chili
- 2 tbsp cilantro
- to taste salt
✅ Done when: the onion looks slightly translucent and smells fresh, not sharp
Coat the fish
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Heat the oil
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Fry in batches
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Drain and serve
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The Story Behind the Dish
Peru's long Pacific coastline has always supplied its kitchens with abundant fresh fish, and frying it in bite-sized pieces became a natural way to turn the daily catch into something crisp and shareable. The name borrows from chicharrón, the term for crispy fried pork, applied here to fish once cevicherías began serving it as a hot counterpart to cold ceviche.
Today it's a fixture on cevichería menus up and down the coast, often ordered as a starter before the ceviche arrives, or combined with fried squid in a mixed platter called jalea.
⭐ Why It's Famous
The quick lime-and-garlic marinade keeps the fish bright and firm, while the thin flour-and-cornstarch crust fries up shatteringly crisp without masking the fish's flavour.
💡 Fun Fact
In many Peruvian cevicherías, chicharrón de pescado and ceviche are served from the same kitchen within minutes of each other, one raw and marinated, one battered and fried, both built on the same squeeze of lime.
Lima and the Peruvian coast
-12.05°S, -77.04°W
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