How many calories are in ceviche?

A bowl made with 150 g (5.3 oz) of white fish, lime juice and red onion has about 165 calories and 28 g protein. Adding a 100 g piece of boiled sweet potato brings it to about 240.

How many calories in pollo a la brasa?

Using USDA rotisserie chicken data, a white-meat quarter (breast and wing with skin) has about 455 calories and 60 g protein, and a dark-meat quarter (thigh and drumstick) about 320 calories. Fries add 250 or more.

How many calories are in lomo saltado?

About 825 calories for a typical plate with 150 g of beef, fries and a cup of white rice, built from USDA ingredients. Skipping the rice saves about 205 calories, and skipping the fries about 250.

Is ceviche good for weight loss?

It is one of the best options on a Peruvian menu: about 165 calories and 28 g protein for a fish-only bowl. Go easy on the fried calamari topping and the sweet potato and corn sides if you are counting.

Is raw fish in ceviche safe?

Lime juice changes the texture of fish but does not kill bacteria or parasites the way cooking does. Use very fresh fish sold for raw use, or fish that was frozen first, and skip raw ceviche if you are pregnant or immunocompromised.

Is quinoa healthier than rice?

Quinoa has about twice the protein and much more fiber: a cooked cup has 222 calories, 8.1 g protein and 5.2 g fiber, versus 205 calories and 4.2 g protein for white rice. Calories are similar.

What is the healthiest Peruvian dish?

Fish ceviche is the leanest classic, followed by grilled anticuchos and pollo a la brasa eaten without the skin and with salad instead of fries.

Peruvian Food Calories: Ceviche, Lomo Saltado & Chicken

Q: Is Peruvian food healthy?

Much of it is. Ceviche, grilled and rotisserie chicken, quinoa and potato dishes are built on whole foods and lean protein. The calories climb with fries, rice and creamy sauces, which often share the same plate.

Most classic Peruvian plates land between about 165 and 825 calories. A bowl of fish ceviche has about 165 calories and 28 g protein, a quarter pollo a la brasa without sides 320-460, and a full plate of lomo saltado with fries and rice about 825.

The sides decide most of it. Fries, white rice, sweet potato, corn and the creamy yellow sauces can double a dish, so the numbers below show each part separately. They're built from USDA ingredient data with the recipe stated, because no official database lists Peruvian dishes, and the calorie apps that do disagree by a wide margin.

Key takeaways

Ceviche is the lean pick: about 165 calories for 150 g (5.3 oz) of fish with lime and onion.
Pollo a la brasa depends on the cut: about 455 calories for a white-meat quarter, 320 for dark.
Lomo saltado is a double-starch dish: fries plus rice add about 455 calories to the stir-fry.
Quinoa beats rice on protein and fiber, at almost the same calories.
Sauces add up fast: huancaína and ají de gallina are built on cheese, milk and oil.

Peruvian food calories at a glance

Nutrify estimates from USDA FoodData Central ingredients; recipes and weights are in each section below.

Dish	Portion	Calories	Protein (g)
Ceviche, fish only	150 g fish (5.3 oz) plus lime and onion	165	28
Ceviche with sweet potato	Same plus 100 g (3.5 oz) camote	240	29
Pollo a la brasa, dark quarter	Thigh and drumstick with skin, 142 g (5 oz)	320	35
Pollo a la brasa, white quarter	Breast and wing with skin, 225 g (7.9 oz)	455	60
Pollo a la brasa, half chicken	About 367 g (12.9 oz)	780	95
Lomo saltado, no rice or fries	150 g beef plus vegetables and oil	370	about 38
Lomo saltado, full plate	With 150 g fries and 1 cup rice	825	not calculated
Causa limeña with chicken	One restaurant slice	475	19
Arroz chaufa (Peruvian fried rice)	1 cup (166 g)	290	not calculated
Quinoa, cooked	1 cup (185 g)	222	8.1

Ceviche calories and nutrition

Classic Peruvian ceviche is raw white fish (corvina, sole or flounder) cured in lime juice with red onion, ají limo chili, cilantro and salt. The citrus marinade is called leche de tigre.

Ingredient	Amount	Calories	Protein (g)
White fish, raw	150 g (5.3 oz)	123	26.7
Lime juice	2 limes, about 88 g (3 fl oz)	22	0.4
Red onion	1/2 onion, 50 g	20	0.6
Chili, cilantro, salt	to taste	about 0	0
Total		about 165	about 28

Fish values use USDA's raw Atlantic cod as the lean white-fish match. That makes ceviche one of the highest-protein, lowest-fat dishes on any menu: about 17 g of protein per 100 calories.

The sides are where it changes:

Camote (sweet potato): a 100 g (3.5 oz) boiled piece adds about 76 calories.
Choclo and cancha: big-kernel Andean corn and crunchy toasted corn add starch; cancha in particular is easy to eat by the handful.
Ceviche mixto with shrimp, octopus and squid stays lean; shrimp nutrition has the numbers for shellfish. A fried calamari topping (chicharrón) adds the most.

Lime juice doesn't sterilize fish. It firms the protein but doesn't kill bacteria or parasites the way heat does, so use very fresh fish sold for raw eating, or fish that's been frozen first. Pregnant people and anyone with a weakened immune system should skip raw ceviche.

Pollo a la brasa calories

Peru's rotisserie chicken is marinated in garlic, cumin, soy sauce and spices and roasted over charcoal. USDA's rotisserie chicken data is the closest match and lists an average weight for each piece.

Portion (meat and skin)	Weight	Calories	Protein (g)	Fat (g)
Dark quarter: 1 thigh, 1 drumstick	142 g (5 oz)	320	35	21
White quarter: 1 breast half, 1 wing	225 g (7.9 oz)	455	60	24
Half chicken	367 g (12.9 oz)	780	95	45
Whole chicken (edible meat and skin)	733 g (1.6 lb)	1,555	189	89

The white quarter has more calories only because it's heavier; per gram, dark meat with skin is richer. Skin is the swing factor: USDA lists rotisserie chicken skin at 406 calories per 100 g, against 137 for skinless breast meat. Our rotisserie chicken calories guide breaks down every part with and without skin.

Typical pollería sides:

Fries: 150 g (5.3 oz) of oven-baked fries is about 250 calories; deep-fried restaurant fries are higher.
Salad: lettuce, tomato and cucumber are close to nothing until the dressing goes on.
Sauces: ají verde, mayonnaise-based cremas and huancaína. A tablespoon of mayonnaise alone is 94 calories.

A quarter chicken with fries and two spoonfuls of mayo-based sauce lands around 760-900 calories, depending on the cut.

Lomo saltado calories

Lomo saltado grew out of chifa, Peru's Chinese-Peruvian cooking: strips of beef stir-fried with red onion, tomato, soy sauce and ají amarillo, served with fries and white rice.

Component	Amount	Calories
Beef, lean (raw weight)	150 g (5.3 oz)	192
Cooking oil	1 tbsp	119
Red onion	80 g	32
Tomato	100 g	18
Soy sauce	1 tbsp	8
French fries, oven-baked	150 g (5.3 oz)	252
White rice, cooked	1 cup (158 g)	205
Total		826

The beef is USDA lean top round. Restaurants often use sirloin or tenderloin, which carry more fat, and restaurant fries are usually deep-fried, so treat 825 as a floor for a big restaurant plate. The tablespoon of soy sauce also brings about 880 mg of sodium.

Version	Calories
Full plate, fries and rice	826
No rice	621
No fries	574
Stir-fry only	369

Causa, ají de gallina and other classics

Causa limeña is a layered terrine of mashed yellow potato seasoned with lime, oil and ají amarillo, filled with chicken or tuna salad and avocado. One restaurant slice estimated from USDA ingredients:

Component	Amount	Calories
Potato, boiled	150 g (5.3 oz)	131
Oil in the potato	1 tbsp	119
Roasted chicken breast	50 g (1.8 oz)	83
Mayonnaise	1 tbsp	94
Avocado	30 g (1 oz)	48
Total		475

Ají de gallina (shredded chicken in a creamy chili sauce thickened with bread, evaporated milk, cheese and nuts) and papa a la huancaína (potatoes with a cheese and chili sauce) get most of their calories from the sauce. Ask for it on the side or eat half if you're counting.

Arroz chaufa, Peruvian fried rice, is closest to USDA's meatless fried rice entry: about 290 calories per cup (166 g), before the meat or egg.

Anticuchos, grilled skewers of marinated beef heart, are one of the leaner street foods because heart is a lean, high-protein muscle. Fried snacks such as papa rellena (stuffed fried potato), salchipapa (sausage and fries) and picarones (sweet potato doughnuts in syrup) are the heavy ones.

Quinoa and Andean staples

Quinoa has been grown in the Andes for thousands of years, alongside kiwicha (amaranth), cañihua and hundreds of potato varieties.

Per 1 cup, cooked	Calories	Protein (g)
Quinoa (185 g)	222	8.1
White rice (158 g)	205	4.2

Quinoa has about twice the protein of white rice for almost the same calories, and a cup also brings 5.2 g of fiber. See quinoa nutrition facts for the full profile and quinoa vs brown rice for the whole-grain comparison. Sweet potato and Andean potatoes are covered in sweet potato vs regular potato.

Is Peruvian food healthy?

Peruvian food is built on fish, chicken, potatoes, corn, quinoa and chili, which is a good starting point. Where it gets heavy is the combination plate. A few easy swaps:

Order ceviche or tiradito (sliced raw fish in a spicy citrus sauce) as a main, not just a starter.
Pick one starch. Lomo saltado with fries or rice, not both, saves 200-250 calories.
Eat pollo a la brasa with salad, and take the skin off the breast if you want the leanest version.
Keep sauces on the side. Creamy cremas and huancaína are the hidden calories.
Swap rice for quinoa when the restaurant offers it.

If you like Latin American food in general, Mexican food nutrition applies the same approach to tacos and burritos. Restaurant portions in the US are often larger than the weights here, so a photo log in Nutrify or a quick weigh at home keeps your numbers honest, and the protein calculator shows how a plate of ceviche or chicken fits your daily target.