We love living in our new culture here in Cumbaya!! God has
truly blessed us with a love for the people, the country, the culture, and the
food. We have always been fairly adventurous when it comes to food. One of the
foods that we love is ceviche! It is a specialty in this part of the world, and
we have started making it in our home.
A man in our church
works in Manta, a town on the Pacific Ocean about six hours from here. He
brought us several pounds of this very unusual fish from a trip. The family
told us it was " muy rico" ( very good); so, we could not wait to try
it. We tried sautéing it. Then, we tried frying it. We just were not getting it
right. What we did not know is this fish is to be used for ceviche.
The "cooking process" in ceviche is different than
others you may have tried, but it is perfectly safe. You marinate the fish in acidic
lemon juice and it "cooks" the fish. You can see it happen, and it
can actually overcook too.
The magic of ceviche is the combination of flavors and
textures with the toppings that you add to your fish. You layer on generous
amounts of your favorites of chopped tomatoes, Spanish purple onions,
scallions, cilantro, plantain chips, popcorn, and corn nuts. Ecuadorians have taught us the varieties are
endless with additional choices of condiments on top such as hot sauce,
mayonnaise, ketchup, even mustard. Each
person makes their own little masterpiece. Ceviche also comes in a shrimp
version or in a "cho-cho" vegetarian bean version if the fish marinated
in lemon juice is really just too much for you. Whichever one you try, they are
fantastic! Oh, my mouth is watering just thinking about it!! You really need to
come and taste it for yourself.
