The Citrus Curer

Camila Vega

Camila grew up in Lima's Barranco district, the daughter of a cevichera who ran a six-stool counter near the fish market and refused to serve any catch landed before dawn. She learned to read fish by smell before she could read words, and spent her teens timing lime cures with a kitchen stopwatch her mother gave her. After years cooking the Pacific coast from Lima up to Callao and out to the cool waters off northern Chile, she now teaches that great ceviche is not a recipe but a moment — fish, salt, acid, and the exact second you stop.

PeruvianCoastal Latin AmericanSeafood

Voice · bright, precise, sensory, unhurried, exacting

Signature Dishes

The essential curation of Camila's favorites.

25 MIN

Buckwheat‑Crusted Scallop Bites with Lime and Avocado

Tender sea scallops coated in toasted buckwheat crumbs, pan-seared to a golden crust and crowned with a bright lime and avocado fresca. The earthy nuttiness of buckwheat plays against the sharp citrus and creamy avocado in this coastal Latin inspired bite.

42 MIN

Almond‑Flour Shrimp Crostini with Lime, Sweet Potato, and Corn

Crispy almond-flour toasted crostini crowned with juicy cayenne-spiced shrimp and a bright sweet potato and corn medley kissed with lime and cilantro.

40 MIN

Peruvian Shrimp and Pinto Bean Tostada Bites

Crispy tostadas loaded with cumin-spiced pinto beans and bright Peruvian-style lime-cured shrimp, topped with fresh tomato and avocado.

65 MIN

Smoked Paprika Octopus Skewers with Lime-Roasted Sweet Potato

Charred octopus skewers seasoned with smoked paprika and a squeeze of fresh lime, served alongside sweet potato roasted until caramelized edges form and the center is tender. Bright, briny, and deeply satisfying.

45 MIN

Octopus and Fennel Tiradito with Lime, Radish, and Mint

Crisp raw fennel and radish beneath seared octopus slices, bathed in a bright lime-cayenne tiradito sauce and finished with fresh mint and cilantro.

25 MIN

Pinto Bean and Shrimp Ceviche with Lime and Cilantro

A bright Peruvian-inspired ceviche combining plump shrimp cured in sharp lime with hearty pinto beans, crunchy onion, and fresh herbs. The lime does the cooking here—no heat needed.

85 MIN

Buckwheat Lime Tart with Coconut Cream and Raspberries

A rustic buckwheat tart shell cradling a bright lime curd filling topped with fresh raspberries and a drizzle of coconut cream.

10 MIN

Cantaloupe Lime Sorbet with Fresh Mint

A bright, refreshing frozen dessert that captures the essence of ripe cantaloupe kissed with sharp lime acidity and cooled by fresh mint. Camila's take on a classic sorbet — no cooking, just patience and a stopwatch for the perfect texture.

35 MIN

Lime and Coconut Panna Cotta with Toasted Almonds

Silky coconut-infused panna cotta brightened with fresh lime zest and juice, finished with crunchy toasted almonds. A clean, vibrant dessert that showcases the citrus-forward precision of the coastal Peruvian tradition.

45 MIN

Lobster Ceviche with Lime and Cayenne

Bright Peruvian-style ceviche featuring tender lobster tail cured in fresh lime juice with a hit of cayenne heat, finished with crisp red onion and cilantro.

45 MIN

Corn and Shrimp Chowder with Lime and Cilantro

A bright, coastal chowder that balances sweet corn and briny shrimp with sharp lime acidity and fresh cilantro—lighter than traditional cream-based versions, with a whisper of cayenne warmth.

20 MIN

Cod and Avocado Ceviche with Lime and Yellow Onion

Bright and briny Peruvian-style ceviche with fresh cod cured in sharp lime juice, creamy avocado, and crisp yellow onion. The citrus curer knows: timing is everything.

45 MIN

Tuna Ceviche with Mango and Cilantro

Fresh tuna cured in bright lime with juicy mango and fragrant cilantro — a crisp Peruvian-inspired ceviche that captures the exact moment briny fish meets citrus perfection.

65 MIN

Octopus and Black Bean Brown Rice Bowl with Lime

A vibrant Peruvian-inspired bowl featuring tender braised octopus, hearty black beans, and nutty brown rice finished with bright lime, fresh cilantro, and creamy avocado.

35 MIN

Shrimp Ceviche with Sweet Corn and Avocado

Bright Peruvian-style ceviche where tender shrimp cure in sharp lime juice with a hit of cayenne, served alongside sweet grilled corn and creamy avocado on a bed of silky sweet potato.

15 MIN

Salmon Ceviche with Lime, Avocado, and Sweet Corn

Bright, briny, and razor-sharp — this is ceviche as Camila makes it: fresh salmon cured in an avalanche of lime juice, piled with creamy avocado and sweet corn. The acid does the cooking. You do the timing.

50 MIN

Shrimp and Sweet Potato Soup with Lime and Cayenne

A bright, coastal Peruvian-inspired soup where tender sweet potato meets briny shrimp in a citrusy broth spiked with cayenne warmth. Clean, sharp, and deeply satisfying.

40 MIN

Scallop Ceviche with Yellow Onion and Lime

Chef Camila Vega's signature coastal ceviche showcases pristine scallops cured in sharp lime juice with raw yellow onion bite and fresh cilantro. The perfect moment between acid and seafood.

70 MIN

Octopus Tiradito with Lime and Cilantro

A Peruvian-Japanese fusion tiradito featuring tender octopus slices bathed in a bright lime and cilantro tiger's milk, finished with a hint of cayenne heat and served alongside sweet potato and corn.

25 MIN

Sea Breeze Shrimp and Scallop Cocktail

A bright, refreshing seafood cocktail featuring plump shrimp and tender scallops in a zesty lime-tomato sauce with crisp cucumber and creamy avocado. Channeling the citrus-forward precision of Peruvian coastal cooking, this dish is served cold and bursts with clean briny flavors and sharp acidity.

45 MIN

Charred Octopus with Roasted Corn

Tender octopus charred until crisp outside and succulent within, served alongside sweet roasted corn with a bright lime-cilantro sauce. Camila style: acid-forward, clean, and precise.

35 MIN

Dawn-Caught Fish Ceviche

Bright and briny Peruvian-style ceviche with a sharp lime cure, raw yellow onion bite, and a kick of cayenne. Served alongside sweet potato and corn.

35 MIN

Cod Causa with Avocado and Lime

Potato mashed with lime and salt until it holds its shape cleanly — firm enough to press into a mold, soft enough to give without resistance under a spoon. Layers of flaked cod, cool avocado, and a sharp note of raw yellow onion cut through the starch, cilantro finishing at the top with the kind of freshness that makes the whole dish feel lighter than it is.

47 MIN

Tuna Ceviche with Mango and Cayenne

Mango in a ceviche is not a concession to sweetness — it is a calculated offset that makes the lime cut sharper by contrast. The tuna is cubed generously, the onion sliced thin and soaked briefly to tame its rawness, and the cayenne enters the leche de tigre at just enough heat to remind you it is there throughout every bite. Cilantro ties acid to fruit.

45 MIN

Grilled Octopus, Lime and Avocado

After the long braise comes the grill — high heat, short contact, until the surface of each tentacle tightens and chars at the edges while the flesh inside stays tender and yielding. Avocado is sliced cool alongside rather than smashed, its richness a steady foil to the char, and the lime-and-cilantro dressing is sharp, unadorned, and applied at the last moment.

15 MIN

Tuna Tiradito, Avocado and Cayenne

Thin slices of tuna, cut against the grain and fanned flat, receive their lime cure individually so every piece is touched equally. A thread of cayenne heat runs across the surface, avocado offers its cool weight at the side, and the onion and cilantro are applied sparingly — enough to frame the fish, not crowd it.

25 MIN

Scallop and Corn Sauté, Garlic and Lime

Scallops seared in a dry, very hot pan until a crust forms on each flat face — golden, slightly caramelized, with the center still translucent when they leave the heat. Corn and garlic soften together in the same pan, picking up the fond, and lime juice deglazed in at the end ties the sweetness to the sea with a brightness that a long-stewed broth could never achieve.

15 MIN

Trout Tiradito with Grapefruit and Cayenne

Grapefruit brings a bitterness that lime alone cannot — it lengthens the finish and gives the trout a slightly austere, very coastal character. Cayenne enters as warmth in the throat rather than fire on the tongue, and cilantro is the one element that makes all that acid feel like a complete thought rather than a sharp chord.

70 MIN

Citrus-Roasted Chicken Thighs over Sweet Potato

Lime and orange work into the chicken skin before roasting, the sugars from the orange caramelizing against the heat while the lime keeps the marinade from tipping sweet. Sweet potato roasts underneath and collects the drippings, and a final scatter of cilantro and onion brings the whole thing back to the brightness Camila insists a plate should finish with.

95 MIN

Octopus and Black Bean Quinoa Bowl

Octopus needs time before it can rest on a bowl like this — a long, patient braise until the flesh yields completely, then a finish over high heat to give the tentacles color and a slightly charred edge. Black beans and quinoa form a substantial base, avocado and lime bring the coastal lightness, and cilantro keeps the memory of the sea intact.

From the Pantry

Signature staples

limecilantroyellow-onioncayennesaltsweet-potatocorn

Favorite tools

ChefKnifeStrainerCleaverCuttingBoard

Reaches for

limecodoctopusshrimpyellow-onioncilantrosweet-potatocornavocadoscallop

Steers clear of

heavy-creambutterbarbecue-saucecinnamonnutmeg

Flavor Profile

The Loves

sharp citrus acidityclean briny seafoodraw red onion bitefresh chile heatcilantro freshness

The Defaults

lime over everythingsalt bloomed latea hit of cayenne for warmth

The Avoids

overcooked rubbery seafoodheavy cream sauces on fishdull under-salted curesmuddy long-stewed flavors