EAT IN ASIA / Destinations / Other destinations / Central america / Guatemala
Guatemalan shrimp ceviche with tostadas and guacamole from Panajachel, Lake Atitlan
First days in an every new country is extremely fascinating. Both from the cultural point of view as from the culinary one. I would like to see and eat almost everything that is possible at once. I would like to visit all new places, see beautiful landscapes and try all local dishes including fruits, vegetable and herbs. Well, in consequence I am buying a lot of things and then struggle with packing them not only into my belly but also into my backpack… that happens…
Panajachel, Lake Atitlan, Guatemala
Our first days were spent in Panajachel at the Atitlan Lake. What a beautiful scenery! With so many surrounding volcanos and with an immense lake. Actually, the lake is so wide that you might wonder whether that is really only a lake, or maybe a part of the sea. Views were perfect, so were people and their culture. Apart from that, the local vibe was great and there was a lot of places where you could try local cuisine. What is great about that place is that everything here is so natural! Starting from the very basic food, through great complex dishes and finishing on a worldwide famous coffee and chocolate.
Urgently a fresh lunch is needed! … Guatemalan shrimp ceviche…!
When we arrived to Panajachel, it was time for a well deserved lunch. After a long journey and a limited access to all natural and fresh products, no surprise that what we were looking for was everything that was extremely fresh and juicy. That is why the choice for the first lunch was relatively easy – a refreshing, juicy ceviche was obligatory. I knew that seafood dishes in this part of the world were great because I had already had a couple of them in Mexico, Costa Rica and in the Dominican Republic.
Yeaaaah! Shrimps in a cocktail - that is what I need!
Although the menu was longer than just a couple of dishes, I was fully concentrated only on these meals that included fresh ingredients. Of course, mainly I was looking for a ceviche, but one never knows what happens… but, yes, that time it was a ceviche day.
Menus in many restaurants included fish, mixed seafood and shrimp ceviche. This time, I decided to go with a one ingredient ceviche and enjoy it to the maximum. Shrimps were what I really needed!
Shrimp ceviche with guacamole
We selected a small, local restaurant that was serving both breakfasts – desayunos (read more about traditional Guatemalan breakfasts in the post: What is a Guatemalan breakfast AKA Desayuno Chapín), and lunches – almuerzos (here you can find more about Best Guatemalan lunch ideas). It was run by the whole family and located close to the city center of Panajachel. Although it did not have any special design, any modernity and beautifulness, it attracted us. Mainly due to the fact that a lot of local people were sitting there too, what is always a good sign!
The ordered meal should include shrimps served in ceviche and a small bowl of guacamole. And it did really exceed my expectations! What a nice surprise! The ceviche serving was rich and full of shrimps! It was wonderfully juicy and so fresh!
Ceviche was prepared at the restaurant just after my ordering. Apart from shrimps it included tomatoes, red onion, parsley, coriander and garlic. It was mild, with no spiciness that could kill the subtle flavor of prawns and herbs. An extra chili, hot sauce was served aside and could be added in the amount that the best suited your taste.
An additional serrano chili side dish
In a separate bowl, a small portion of serrano chilis was served in a spicy, slightly vinegar sauce. Peppers were spicy not from the first bite, but you could feel their heat after a couple of seconds. Also the brine in which they were indulged was hot and nicely tuned the shrimp ceviche.
Shrimps in ceviche
As I said before, this shrimp ceviche was not only big but also included a lot of shrimps. These shrimps were delicate and very soft. The meat was not chewy and not hard to bite. It had a perfect texture and consistency. I guess, the whole serving included about twenty or even more baby shrimps. These small crustaceans had a wonderful taste and were ideally paired with the served salsa.
Fresh vegetables and herbs in a Guatemalan shrimp ceviche
Freshly and finely chopped red onions and tomatoes created the main part of the ceviche. They were delicate but had a nice texture and were full of aromas. Red onions had a slight spicy note, however they were not hot. Their spiciness was optimal. Neither was it too bland, nor too hot and in the same time over dominating the whole ceviche.
Tomatoes had their natural flavor and were juicy. Had a beautiful natural red color and had a perfect taste.
Parsley and coriander were nicely adding some green color to the ceviche. However that is not all. A wonderful coriander aroma was so great and added an extra freshness to the dish. It was ideally combined with plenty of lime juice and with some sour orange one. Apart from that, ceviche was slightly seasoned with some salt and had no pepper.
The whole ceviche was nicely garnished with some avocado slices and additional sprinkled with fresh herbs.
Guatemalan guacamole
In a small bowl was separately served guacamole. This avocado side dish was delicate and slightly salty. It was soft, had a plain texture and included only avocado. Actually you might expect to find in your Guatemalan guacamole some onions or tomato small chunks (as it in Mexico - check our Mexican easy guacamole recipe), but that rarely happens. It is really different from a Mexican guacamole. Here, in Guatemala, it is mostly prepared with no extra ingredients apart from 3 main components - avocado, lime juice, salt and optionally some garlic or with a really small amount of onion.
Ceviche with shrimps
Wow, that was a great meal! A wonderful feast both for tastes and sight! So many aromas, such a freshness and so wonderfully prepared only with local Guatemalan ingredients! I do really recommend it!
