Last Frontiers article

A lovely fresh ceviche recipe from one of Panama's top Chefs, Charlie Collins.

You will need fresh sea bass, ideally kept beforehand in iced water. Cut the fish into chunks with a very sharp knife and add lime juice, chopped celery and a generous helping of coriander. Soak the fish for 3 hours then keep in airtight ceramic or glass container (not plastic!). Serve on a bed of avocado, lettuce and tomato. Yummy!

We’ve had this recipe kicking around for a while, and as the summer nears to an end (how sad) then the time approaches for some heart-warming soups. Our guide in Ecuador, Marco Toscano shared this recipe for Locro soup with us. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 10 medium-sized potatoes, peeled and cut into large and small squares
• 2 tablespoons canola oil or butter
• 1 white onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons cumin (if required)
• 1 teaspoon ground achiote or paprika
• 7 cups water
• 1 cup milk (you can use more if you like)
• 1 cup grated or shredded mozzarella cheese
• 4 tablespoons finely chopped coriander
• Salt to taste

Preparation:

1. Prepare a ‘refrito’ for the soup by heating the oil or butter over medium heat in a saucepan and adding the chopped onion, garlic, cumin and paprika. Cook until the onions are soft (about 5 minutes).
2. Add the potatoes to the saucepan, mixing well and continuing to cook for a further 5 mins.
3. Add water and bring to a boil, cooking the potatoes until tender. Use a potato masher to crush the potatoes, but do not crush them all, the potato locro consistency should be creamy but still with some nice chunks of potato.
4. Reduce the heat, add the milk and mix well. Cook for a further 5mins and add more milk or water if the soup is too thick.
5. Add salt to taste, the cheese and coriander.
6. Serve the soup with generous chunks of avocado, spring onions, crumbled cheese, coriander and some spicy sauce.