Lupini bean ceviche (ceviche de chochos or cecvichochochos ). It’s a thing. Really.

When you think of ceviche, you probably envision raw fish cured with some type of citrus — lemon, lime and/or orange juice — spiced with (ají) chile peppers and cilantro.

Ceviche de chochos is a vegan, plant-based ceviche made with chocho beans, otherwise known as lupini beans. Today’s cure has a similar vibrant, citrus-forward flavor profile that you would find in the aforementioned seafood version.

I also included red onions, tomatoes, cilantro and served with corn nuts, plantain chips and avocado. You can add a dash of your favorite hot sauce; although, I opted for 1/2 of a habanero (mine wasn’t particularly spicy), because I love it’s inherent fruitiness. Many of the recipes I came across included ketchup, tomato sauce or tomato paste. I decided to keep it fresh, adding grated fresh tomatoes to the cure.

Lupini beans are found mostly in Mediterranean countries and South America. Archaeologists have actually traced lupini beans back to ancient Egypt. They were even a staple with Roman Empire warriors.

As well, lupini beans are chock-full of plant protein (one cup of boiled lupini beans has 26 grams of protein). They’re high in fiber, low in carbs and high in several vitamins and minerals.

Warning…lupini beans contain unusually high amounts of alkaloids (particularly sparteine), which is responsible for their somewhat bitter taste (and are potentially toxic if eaten in their raw state). However, the alkaloids are water-soluble and can be removed by soaking the beans for several days in water. You’ll need to soak, boil, and rinse. It’s a bit of a process.

I took a shortcut and bought some jarred lupini beans that I found at a local grocery store, though, you can also order them online. They’re already ready to eat. You just need to rinse them under cold water and then pinch off their outer skins (as seen below).

This dish is light and refreshing with a nice amount of acidity and small kick of heat.

Perfect for the warmer weather [and hopefully happier times 🙂 ] to come.

I added half a habanero to provide some heat and fruitiness, but am excited about making some ají amarillo hot sauce this summer. Will be starting these True Love Seeds soon…

Lupini Bean Ceviche

2-2 1/2 cups lupini beans, used 2 jars of this brand
1 small red onion, thinly sliced length-wise
Sea salt
2/3 cup lime juice
1/3 cup orange juice
1/3 cup *grated tomatoes
1 tablespoon olive oil
2-3 medium tomatoes, sliced into half-moons
1/2 habanero, minced or a dash of your favorite hot sauce
1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Serve with:
Corn nuts
Plantian chips
Sliced avocado
Hot sauce

To prep the lupini beans: Rinse the jarred beans under cold water. Pinch the skins off each bean.

*To grate the tomatoes: Slice a thin round off the bottom of each tomato. Starting at the cut end, grate tomatoes on the largest holes of a box grater over a medium bowl until all that’s left is the flattened tomato skin discard the skins. 

Place the sliced onions in a bowl of cold, lightly salted water. Let sit 10 minutes and then rinse. This will help to remove some of the onion’s sharp bite.

Combine the lupini beans, onions, lime juice, orange juice, grated tomatoes, olive oil, sliced tomatoes, habanero (if using) and cilantro in a bowl. Chill for at least 2 hours, up to 24 hours.

Serve with corn nuts, plantain chips, avocado and hot sauce.