The traditional seafood cocktail of Costa Rica is known as ceviche, but the Institute of Pacific Ports in Costa Rica (Spanish acronym: INCOP) insists on writing it as cebiche. Nonetheless, the INCOP, the National Tourism Board (Spanish initials: ICT) and Travel Show Expo have put together a weekend festival in celebrating this dish.

 

According to travel reporter Gianluca Boncompagni of online news daily CRHoy.com, the “Cebiche” Festival is spelled as such because the United Nations deems it adequate. To this end, the Royal Spanish Academy suggests up to four accepted spellings, What is important is that INCOP and ICT have put together a festival showcasing the numerous seafood offerings produced in the Pacific coast of Costa Rica.

 

The event will take place in Quepos, province of Puntarenas, not far from the Manuel Antonio National Park. The dates of the Festival will be on Saturday, November 15 and Sunday, November 16, and this year is being hosted at the Hotel Marino Pez Vela (sailfish) in Quepos. According to event organizers, there will be tastings of different types of ceviche, which in Costa Rica mainly consists of marinated fish in lemon juice with some vegetable and spices. Aside from lots of ceviche, organizers are also planning activities for children, live musical performances, and film screenings at night.

 

The different ceviche recipes that will be featured at the festival this weekend will range from those that call for the fish to be marinated for eight hours – a risky proposition. One Latin American nation that can rightfully claim origin to ceviche is Peru, where ceviche may feature oysters, shrimp, squid, and even octopus in addition to fish. Here’s the most common ceviche recipe in Costa Rica:

 

• Fresh fish filets, diced (lionfish is very suitable at this time)
• Lemon juice
• Bell or hot peppers
• Garlic
• Chopped celery
• Salt and pepper

 

Marinating the fish is essential when making ceviche. The most common recommendation in this regard is to wait two hours before serving. The acidity that ensues from the marinating process can be reduced with a seltzer. A vegetarian version of ceviche calls for green plantain or heart of palm instead of fish, which can also be added to the traditional recipe above. Best enjoyed with an ice-cold Imperial.