Raw seafood dish perfect for a hot day (2024)

I've been hearing that Panama is one of the best places in the world for Americans to retire. It's a tropical destination with incredibly beautiful scenery and is less than a three-hour flight from Miami. Panama is warm and humid at sea level and cool in the mountains. It lies southwest of the hurricane belt, so there's no worry about violent storms. Panama is a country that's not divided by conflict from strong left or strong right political parties. It has a robust economy and a very low crime rate in most areas. And best of all, a retired couple is supposed to be able to live there comfortably on $2,000 to $3,000 per month. Many household items cost about half of what you'd pay in the United States. Fruits, vegetables, and seafood are cheap and abundant. Living abroad sounds intriguing, so I decided to check it out. This past November, on a cold, gray, wet day, I booked a flight to Panama City and made a two-week Airbnb reservation.

With coastlines on both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, Panamanian cuisine relies heavily on seafood, and I was super-excited to find an Airbnb listing for a "Tropicool Loft with a Rooftop Patio" just "steps away" from the Mercado De Marisco, Panama City's famous fish market. I love visiting local food markets when I travel and as a born-and-bred Midwesterner, a fish market holds special appeal. We've been trying to consume less red meat and eat more fish, and here in Springfield, the good stuff can be pretty pricey so I was anxious to see what I could buy in Panama. The Airbnb advertised a full kitchen, and I planned to cook most of our meals so I packed some sharp knives, pin bone tweezers, my favorite fish spatula and baggies with my favorite seasonings.

After settling into our Airbnb, the first order of business was to visit the fish market. The Mercado De Marisco is housed in a sprawling two-story building located by the docks where the fishermen unload their boats. Inside the market, ice-filled counters were piled high with the previous night's catch. Never have I seen such an assortment of fin fish, shrimp, langoustines, spiny lobsters, sea clams and octopus. The market was a cook's dream and I was enchanted! My wife, on the other hand, found it somewhat less appealing. As she wrote in her travel journal, "I was so excited to go to the fish market. Peter had done nothing but talk about how amazing it would be to buy cheap, fresh fish right off the boats. What he didn't realize or didn't tell me as we walked around deciding which fish to buy, the fish are gutted and sometimes beheaded, and the guts are thrown on the floor and water and heads and guts are flowing over your feet as you walk around the market. Nothing like having fish eyes floating across your feet! Had I known, I would not have worn open-toed sandals but a good pair of wellies!"

The fish market is surrounded by food stalls with ramshackle, plastic seating specializing in fried fish and ceviche, raw fish marinated in citrus juice. For just a few dollars a cup you can sample sea bass, shrimp and octopus, all "cooked" in either lemon or lime juice with thinly sliced red onions, red peppers, herbs and olives. My wife and I ordered two ceviches, coconut rice, fried plantains, a beer and a margarita and still got back change from a $20 bill.

Ceviche, pronounced seh-VEE-chay, is a preparation of raw seafood that has the opaque appearance and texture of cooked seafood. No actual heat transfer takes place but the acidic citrus marinade denatures the proteins of seafood enough to mimic the texture of cooked fish. The flesh becomes opaque, the texture firmer and dryer, yet the flavors remain bright, clean and fresh: Any type of semi-firm, white-fleshed ocean fish can be used, such as sea bass, striped bass, red snapper or grouper, Shrimp, sea scallops and octopus also work well, The fish should be the highest and freshest quality available, preferably sashimi-grade. Oily fishes, such as mackerel, sardines or bluefish don't make good ceviche, nor do freshwater fish like trout or catfish.

The acidic component is most commonly lime juice, but lemons and Seville (bitter) oranges can also be used. Seville oranges, unlike ordinary oranges, have the requisite acidity to do the job. The citric acid in the juice changes the proteins in fish by a process called denaturation. The normally twisted and folded protein molecules unravel or unfold into less convoluted shapes, and the shapes of molecules, especially proteins, are responsible for most of their physical and chemical properties. The leftover marinade, known as leche de tigre (tiger's milk), is often consumed as a hangover cure.

Recipe: Ceviche de Corvina

(White sea bass ceviche)

When the thermometer goes way up and the weather is sizzling hot, don't sweat over a hot stove! Make ceviche instead! It's so cool and refreshing!

Serves 4

Ingredients:
1 lb. boneless white sea bass or other semi-firm white fish fillets
½ lb. peeled and deveined shrimp
1 teaspoon Kosher or fine sea salt
1 ½ cups finely chopped red onion
½ cup finely chopped celery
½ hot pepper, finely minced
1 cups fresh lime juice
¼ cup finely chopped fresh cilantro

Preparation:

Run your finger across the fish to check for pin bones. If you find any, remove them with tweezers or needle-nosed pliers. Cut the fish and shrimp into bite-size pieces and place them in a non-reactive bowl. Sprinkle with the salt.

Add all the onion, celery, and hot peppers, and mix well.

Add the lime juice. The juice should cover the fish. Add more if needed.

Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator. Allow at least four hours for the fish to "cook" in the lime juice.

When ready to secure, add the cilantro. Serve with tortilla chips or saltines.