Having ceviche, a concoction of raw fish “cured” with something acidic, is one of the most delicious ways to connect with the ocean and ingredients of the land. Each location puts its own spin on it as well, by the fish and other ingredients they use. Writer Julie Hatfield not only got to eat ceviche, but she was instructed in how to make it, hands-on, by the pros at the Bristol Hotel Panama in Panama City, Panama. Read about the experience below, then follow the link to the recipe graciously shared with Real Food Traveler readers.

Save this article to Pinterest to help you plan to take a ceviche-making class in Panama City. Photo courtesy Bristol Panama.

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Ceviche-Making Class at the Bristol Hotel in Panama City, Panama

Where else in the world except in Panama can you enjoy fresh, caught-that-morning seafood from both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans?

We enjoyed the delicious fruits of both seas in one lovely visit to the ribbon-like country that connects Central and South America and is bordered by both oceans, with its famous canal bringing goods and people from one side of the world to the other.

The luxury boutique Bristol Hotel in downtown Panama City offers a class in ceviche making led by Head Chef Javier Chavez. It includes visiting the enormous Mercado de Mariscos, with fresh fish for sale to both the wholesale and retail markets. Chavez, who used to work in this market before he was scooped up by the elegant hotel to head its popular restaurant Salsipuedes, now goes to the market every other day to buy the restaurant’s supply of seafood. About 40 percent of Salsipuedes’ menu consists of seafood.

“We never freeze fish,’ he notes. “We only use it fresh.”

Chef Chavez and the bag of seafood fresh from the market that would become the ceviche we would make. Photo by Julie Hatfield.

Chavez has an expert’s eye for the best from the sea; as we trailed him around the market, we watched him press down on the body of a red snapper and show us how it bounced right back, which is a good sign of freshness. Also, he said, the eye of the fish should glisten, which this one did. He passed up a cut of solid tuna, saying he didn’t like the color of it, and went on to purchase some tilapia, grouper, sea bass and shrimp. Among the goods from the sea we saw in the market was a blue lobster from the Pacific Ocean placed side by side next to a green lobster from the Atlantic Ocean.

Proceeding back to the Bristol Hotel Panama with the day’s seafood supply, Chavez took us into Salsipuedes’ private dining room where the staff had set up a table with an apron, new knives, rubber gloves, and other utensils for ceviche preparation. Peruvian-born Chavez calls this recipe Peruvian ceviche. He still has family in Peru but said he fell in love with Panama and that led him to return to live and work here permanently.

The table at the Bristol Hotel in Peru, set up for our ceviche-making class. Photo by Julie Hatfield.

He said that flaky fish is not good for ceviche, as it falls apart when mixed with lemon, so he chose firm grouper for this ceviche. He showed us how to peel and slice the mushrooms, chop onions and avocados and cut the grouper into bite-sized pieces. Then he demonstrated how to put the cooked sweet potato (mixed with orange juice) into individual dishes with a “smear,” the same way that New Yorkers put cream cheese on their bagels. All the other ingredients then went into each of our individual dishes, with the beautiful Panamanian lemons (called “Noriega lemons” because their bumpy skin is similar to that of the late Panamanian dictator according to the locals), herbs, and two different other liquids, into a delicious ceviche which he said can be eaten immediately, while other ceviches are better after marinating for a day or overnight.

Chef Chavez prepares an avocado for the ceviche. Photo by Julie Hatfield.

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Our ceviche, complemented by a chilled Peruvian white wine, made a delicious immediate lunch, and we will happily take this recipe home to try to duplicate it as much as possible with our U.S. products. The Bristol Hotel Panama guests can sign up for a ceviche lesson with Chef Chavez if they are in Panama City, for $85 per person.

A white Peruvian wine was served with the ceviche we had made. Photo by Julie Hatfield.

To learn more about Bristol Hotel Panama, visit their website, here.

-Story and photos, except where mentioned, by Julie Hatfield

Hungry for more? Here’s the easy recipe for this ceviche.