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Best Ceviche In Baltimore

At some point in Latin American history, they discovered that one does not need an oven to cook fish. Saturation in the citric juices of lemon or lime will slowly cook the fish's meat to a juicy finish, leaving an entirely different taste and texture than that of heated fish. Like all world foods, ceviche has eventually found its way to America, and to "America in Miniature," Maryland. Here are the best restaurants in the Baltimore area to enjoy this succulent seafood dish.

Puerto 511
102 W. Clay St.
Baltimore, MD 21201
(410) 244-8837
www.puerto511.com

Puerto 511 is the type of place you might miss if you weren't looking for it. It's a bit off the beaten path, a "discovered" restaurant that doesn't take reservations and has a fairly open BYOB policy, allowing you to pair whatever libation you choose with your seafood selection. When you come, however, make certain to order the "Ceviche Clasico," which the menu brags to be the "best ceviche in Baltimore ever." You may be the one to decide if this boast is true. For customers who want to try a ceviche which includes a variety of seafood, they offer the Ceviche Mixto Arocotado, which throws calamari, octopus and shrimp into the mix.

Clavel
225 W. 23rd St.
Baltimore, MD 21211
(301) 848-2849
www.barclavel.com

Clavel is a Latin American cocktail bar and customers can't stop raving about its drinks. However, despite its focus on libations, Clavel is no slouch in the kitchen department, and one of its signature dishes just happens to be the ceviche. There are three total ceviches on the menu, and its worth coming back for a taste of all three. Two of Clavel's ceviche are lime cured shrimp with various other ingredients for two entirely unique flavors, and the third is a lime cured mahi-mahi that's to die for. Come for the drinks, stay for the ceviche.

Pisco Restaurante
6630 Marie Curie Drive
Elkridge, MD 21075
(410) 312-4888
piscorestaurante.com

Pisco is a Peruvian restaurant known for two things: its unique, comfortable-yet-classy atmosphere, and (you guessed it) its ceviche. You can tell that they pride themselves on this dish in particular, because there is an entire section of the menu devoted to it — a section which contains no less than fifteen different items to choose from.

It's difficult to recommend any one ceviche from such a spectrum of taste. If you aren't feeling terribly adventurous, go for the Ceviche Clasico. It's the traditional ceviche, but Pisco does it right, so you won't be disappointed. If you want variety, go for the Ceviche Pisco Trio — a taste of three ceviches served up in one order. Or be adventurous and try any of their other flavors.

Related:  Best Fish Tacos In Baltimore

Salt
2127 E. Pratt St.
Baltimore, MD 21231
(410) 276-5480
www.salttavern.com

Salt is a longstanding Baltimore tavern known for its sophisticated atmosphere and art, all of which makes for a swanky night out. Come in and seat yourself at the candle-lit tables next to the exposed brick walls for a unique dining experience. But if you want something really unique, go ahead and start your meal with the Bay Scallop Ceviche Soup. This blend of scallops plucked fresh from the Chesapeake is served up sweet and spicy with both summer melon and jalapeno, combined with other ingredients to make it the guaranteed highlight of the meal.

Alma Cocina Latina
2400 Boston St.
Baltimore, MD 21224
(667) 212-4273
almacocinalatina.com

At Alma Cocina Latina, presentation is everything. Dishes are served up in the manner of fine dining with sprigs of this and that strategically set and dribbles of sauces set in artistic lines across the carefully portioned selections of food. However, flavor is not lost in all of this presentation. In fact, the restaurant seems to devote plenty of effort to making their dishes taste as good as they look. There are three ceviche items on the menu: two served with seasonal seafood, and one with the classic mahi-mahi. Its worth a visit to Alma Cocina, because the ingredients thrown into the dishes are as rare as the restaurant itself.

Related: Best Mussels In Baltimore

Joel Furches is a freelance writer and researcher for The Examiner and Logos Software, and also manages his own catalog of writing on Hub Pages. Joel is on the board of directors for Ratio Christi. He has a bachelors in Psychology and a Masters in Education.

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