Montanita
February 5, 2007
For several days now we have been approached on the beach by Ecuadorian vendors on bike carts selling cebiche oestra, or oyster ceviche. Well, they aren’t really bikes, but more of a three wheeled cart, the front of the cart is used as a traveling oyster bar and the back of the cart is used to maneuver the bike along the beach. We were a little hesitant to give the “fresh” ceviche a try since the vendors peddle up-and-down the steaming, hot beach all day and there’s literally no ice or refrigeration on the carts. Plus, we weren’t really sure where their product came from; we figured some type of Ecuadorian oyster farm. Is there such a thing?
This morning, during a long walk on the beach we decided to explore the tide pools located on The Point to the right of our place, and that is where we saw the ceviche guys stocking up for the day. They were actually pulling the oysters right out of the water as we approached. I decided this was as fresh as it was going to get—we had to try it!
Marc isn’t a big fan of oysters, so the guy offered us the especial mixto—fish, shrimp, and oysters. I walked away briefly and apparently the friendly vendor proudly pulled a sinewy 24 inch octopus out of a five gallon bucket of saltwater and asked Marc if he would like it included in the mixto… Marc politely declined; no gracias.
To start the dish, he shucks the oysters by placing a rock on the ground and gives them a few good whacks with a metal mallet. After opening the two oysters and removing them from their shells he cuts them up into chunks and tosses them into a bowl about 7 inches in diameter. He adds the shrimp and dorado (a white fish) that has been soaking in lime juice from a couple grimy looking Tupperware bowls. Then, he squeezed the first lime into the bowl, and added all of the ingredients from his cart including cilantro, red onions, jalapenos, salt, diced tomatoes and a couple quick shots of oil. He adds a second lime before asking us if we want some Tapatio like hot-sauce for a little extra heat. Of course we do! He gave us one squirt, and we encouraged him to keep going. Then he asked us if we want roasted corn nuts—sure, give us the works!
We sat down on the closest rock in the tide-pool and shared the $3 bowl of delight as the guy stayed close and waited for his bowl and spoon to be returned. The blend of flavors was perfect, titillating all of the senses—sour, sweet, spicy and salty. We alternated bites, passing the spoon back and forth. Marc stuck with the fish and shrimp (he did try a couple pieces of oyster since they were hard to miss). After the majority of the seafood was gone, we still took turns slurping up the lime juice with all of its wonderful flavors. With the bowl empty, immediately craving more, we handed “our” bowl and spoon back to our ceviche chef. While he washed the bowl and spoon in what appeared to be a soapy solution on his cart we told him we might see him again tomorrow for another especial mixto! He suggested again that we try the octopus—we will see.
I look forward to more culinary experiences like this one on the trip. Unfortunately, this is the only one worth talking about to date.
This morning, during a long walk on the beach we decided to explore the tide pools located on The Point to the right of our place, and that is where we saw the ceviche guys stocking up for the day. They were actually pulling the oysters right out of the water as we approached. I decided this was as fresh as it was going to get—we had to try it!
Marc isn’t a big fan of oysters, so the guy offered us the especial mixto—fish, shrimp, and oysters. I walked away briefly and apparently the friendly vendor proudly pulled a sinewy 24 inch octopus out of a five gallon bucket of saltwater and asked Marc if he would like it included in the mixto… Marc politely declined; no gracias.
To start the dish, he shucks the oysters by placing a rock on the ground and gives them a few good whacks with a metal mallet. After opening the two oysters and removing them from their shells he cuts them up into chunks and tosses them into a bowl about 7 inches in diameter. He adds the shrimp and dorado (a white fish) that has been soaking in lime juice from a couple grimy looking Tupperware bowls. Then, he squeezed the first lime into the bowl, and added all of the ingredients from his cart including cilantro, red onions, jalapenos, salt, diced tomatoes and a couple quick shots of oil. He adds a second lime before asking us if we want some Tapatio like hot-sauce for a little extra heat. Of course we do! He gave us one squirt, and we encouraged him to keep going. Then he asked us if we want roasted corn nuts—sure, give us the works!
We sat down on the closest rock in the tide-pool and shared the $3 bowl of delight as the guy stayed close and waited for his bowl and spoon to be returned. The blend of flavors was perfect, titillating all of the senses—sour, sweet, spicy and salty. We alternated bites, passing the spoon back and forth. Marc stuck with the fish and shrimp (he did try a couple pieces of oyster since they were hard to miss). After the majority of the seafood was gone, we still took turns slurping up the lime juice with all of its wonderful flavors. With the bowl empty, immediately craving more, we handed “our” bowl and spoon back to our ceviche chef. While he washed the bowl and spoon in what appeared to be a soapy solution on his cart we told him we might see him again tomorrow for another especial mixto! He suggested again that we try the octopus—we will see.
I look forward to more culinary experiences like this one on the trip. Unfortunately, this is the only one worth talking about to date.
