Cooking Class: Ceviche from Zoetry Paraiso de la Bonita and a Surprise Meet Up!
Are you in the mood for something fresh, healthy and easy to make? Scott and I learned to make one of our favorite go-to summer dishes on our recent trip to Riviera Maya. We took a cooking class with chef Nicholas at Zoetry Paraiso de la Bonita. At the last second, I flipped on the video camera on my phone to capture the experience. I'll also share the recipe at the bottom of the post.
All the ingredients were carefully chopped and prepared by Chef Nicolas. The friendly staff, including Fermin, started the class by serving chilled white wine. Pour yourself a glass of chilled sauvignon blanc, sit back and join me for a few moments at the cooking class as we make ceviche for the first time.
Here's Scott diving in!
It's fun to serve just about anything in a martini glass!
friends-cooking-class-zoetry
These are more of the fun folks we met at Zoetry Paraiso de la Bonita. Rosemary and Rolando, in straw hats, were great. We also ended up in a sweat lodge with them at the spa -- but that's a whole different story. With Facebook these days it is so easy to stay friends with people we meet while traveling. That is a huge plus for social media in my book.
In the background of this shot, I'm introducing myself to the famed Mexican architect Carlos Gosselin, who designed Zoetry Paraiso de la Bonita. He lives part time at Zoetry, and a number of guests, including my husband, had seen him during our stay. I woke up on this morning and announced to Scott, "I'm going to meet the architect today". I wanted to tell him how impressed I am with this magnificent resort. As I shot the video of the cooking class, I turned my video around to get a glimpse of the resort (about 6 minutes in) and he was the shadowy figure walking just a couple of feet behind me. It was a fun moment and such a surprise! As soon as the class was over I raced over to meet him and he was just as elegant and charming as I expected.
Zoetry grouper ceviche
Ingredients
1 kg diced fresh grouper or mild white fish
8 lemons (the juice)
1 red onion in julianne
1 chopped mango
½ chopped papaya
1 chopped cucumber
Basil
Coriander
Mint
Salt
Dried oregano
Olive oil
Tortilla chips
Procedure
Place grouper, lemon juice, oregano, salt and olive oil in a bowl and let it rest for at least 15·20 min
Add the rest of ingredients
Serve with tortilla chips
Scott recreated this dish at home with fresh ingredients from the farmer's market in Chico. We devoured it so quickly that I didn't get any shots of his finished product. Ceviche is also delicious served with guacamole.
For more on our trip to Riviera Maya:
A Sunny Escape to Tulum and Akumal
Have you ever made ceviche?
