Matteo’s Recipes - Ceviche de Setas

There are days in the Yucatán when the heat presses against the skin like a hand. Slow. Heavy. Honest. On those days you do not crave fire or fat. You crave something that wakes you without burning you. Something bright. Something cool.

Ceviche de setas does exactly that.

The mushrooms come from the forest floor where the air stays damp even after sunrise. Clean. Firm. Quiet. They hold the memory of the night. Slice them thin and they take on the lime like a conversation. They soften but never surrender. They stay themselves.

The Maya learned long ago that the land will feed you even when the sea is distant. Setas are proof of that. A ceviche born from the jungle instead of the waves. A dish that tastes like the earth learning to breathe underwater.

Eat it with fresh totopos. Warm. Crisp. Salted just enough. They break under your fingers and carry the ceviche the way a good story carries a moment. Simple. True. Alive in the heat.

Recipe (Serves 4)

Ingredients

• 400 g setas, thinly sliced (can substitute baby bellas)

• 120 ml fresh lime juice

• 1 small red onion, thinly sliced (80 g)

• 1 serrano chile, minced

• 15 g cilantro, chopped

• 1 ripe avocado, sliced

• 5 g sea salt

• 10 ml olive oil

• Fresh totopos, for serving

Method

1. Place the sliced setas in a bowl and cover with lime juice and salt.

2. Add the red onion and serrano. Mix gently.

3. Let the mixture rest for 20 to 25 minutes until the mushrooms soften but keep their bite.

4. Add the cilantro and olive oil. Stir softly.

5. Serve chilled with avocado on top and fresh totopos on the side.