texture firmer and dryer, yet the flavours remain spanking fresh: it's the perfect zingy dish for a warm autumn day. American chef Rick Moonen describes it as a "citrus cocktail", which sounds about right. In Ecuador, they commonly add tomato sauce, while in Central America ceviche is often served salsa-style with tacos or tostadas, but in Peru, simplicity seems to reign supreme. Fish or shellfish, citrus, chilli, perhaps some onion -- why would you want anything more? As the American writer Calvin Trillin put it in a wonderful article on the subject for the now-defunct Gourmet magazine, "I would imagine that Peruvians consider their version of ceviche stately and Ecuadoreans consider it dull." But trust me, for the British palate, at least, the dish is anything but. The fish It goes without saying that any fish served raw should be spanking fresh, but even in Peru there's no single species that's particularly favoured for ceviche. It makes sense to use the local catch and the species used changes depending on availability: inland, freshwater fish such as trout replace the corvina, sea bass or shark of the coast. Henrietta Clancy, chef at the Last Days of Pisco (and, in the spirit of full and frank disclosure, also a good friend of mine) has experimented with various species. In theory, she says, any white fish can be used, but "many fragile fish can become rubbery or totally dissolve in the lime juice". She plumps for sea bass: it retains its flavour and