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Arroz con camarones y pollo is a traditional dish originating from Costa Rica. The dish is usually made with a combination of rice, chicken, shrimp, onions, tomatoes, garlic, hot peppers, coriander, achiote paste, oil, salt, and pepper. The shrimp and chicken pieces are boiled in separate pots, and the rice is then cooked in the leftover cooking liquid of both the chicken and the shrimp.
The tomatoes are chopped and fried in oil with hot peppers, onions, garlic, achiote, salt, and pepper. Shrimp and chicken are added to the mixture and cooked for a few minutes, and the rice is then added to the dish until it absorbs some of the liquid.
MAIN INGREDIENTS
Tapado de pescado is a flavorful Honduran specialty soup featuring ingredients such as white fish (snapper, haddock, bass), coconut milk, plantains, yucca, squash, yams, onions, and seasonings. The soup has a slightly sweet flavor due to the usage of coconut milk, and a creamy texture due to the richness of various vegetables.
Tapado de pescado is so popular that the indigenous Hondurans known as Garifunas usually sell it to tourists on local beaches.
A regional specialty of León, arroz con pescado is a savory dish that consists of rice, shredded fish, and tomatoes. The combination is typically further enhanced with the addition of spearmint and bitter oranges. Common snook (known as róbalo in Nicaragua) or snapper are among the most common choices of fish used for this Nicaraguan delicacy, although other varieties of marine or freshwater fish may also be used.
The dish is usually accompanied by a side of cooked green plantains and fresh salad, and it is traditionally enjoyed during Semana Santa (Holy Week), the week before Easter.
Cóctel de conchas is a seafood delicacy typical of Salvadoran cuisine. It is a type of shellfish cocktail that usually combines black shell clams (conchas negras), diced onions and tomatoes, cilantro, and lemon or lime juice. The whole thing is dressed with a mixture of Worcestershire sauce (called salsa inglesa or salsa perrins in El Salvador), hot sauce, and salt.
Typical accompaniments served with this clam cocktail include crackers, lemon halves for squeezing extra lemon juice over the cocktail, hot chili peppers, and cold beer. This refreshing specialty is especially popular during the summer season, and it is often served inside the shells for better visual effect.
Sopa marinera is a flavorful Honduran soup consisting of fish and seafood such as octopus and shrimps, plantains, cassava, and coriander, cooked in coconut milk. The soup is extremely healthy due to the fact that all of the ingredients are cooked for only 15 minutes, preserving most of the nutrients in the process.
In order to accentuate its slightly sour flavor, some cooks add a small amount of white wine to the soup.
Originating from the Lago de Yojoa region, fried Yojoa fish is a traditional dish. The fish is seasoned with salt and spices and it's left to marinate overnight. The next day, it's deep-fried and traditionally garnished with pickled red cabbage, pickled onions, and lime slices, while deep-fried plantains, also known as tajaditos, make for an excellent side dish.
The Yojoa fish has a slightly sweet flavor, which distinguishes it from other types of fried fish, and the marination process ensures that the flesh becomes delicious, flaky, and easily pulled off the bones.
MAIN INGREDIENTS
Sopa de caracol is one of the most notable dishes in Honduran cuisine, consisting of large pieces of conch cooked in coconut milk with the addition of conch broth, cassava, plantains, and spices such as coriander, garlic, and chili. For added flavor, it is not unusual to add more vegetables, be it onions, carrots, or finely diced tomatoes.
The dish is popular throughout the Caribbean, particularly on islands such as the Bahamas and Jamaica.
MOST ICONIC Sopa de caracol
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Ceviche Tico is a Costa Rican version of the famous ceviche, available in many versions throughout the country, consisting of white fish or shrimps marinated in lime juice, chilis, coriander, garlic, and onions. When all of the ingredients have been combined, the concoction is chilled for at least three hours before consumption.
It is said that the secret to making a ceviche Tico lies in in using a small variety of inexpensive ingredients. This light appetizer is usually served with crackers, tortilla chips, or boiled green plantains on the side.
MOST ICONIC Ceviche Tico
Pargo relleno is a traditional fish dish that's popular in Cuba and Costa Rica. It consists of a stuffed red snapper. The fish is seasoned with salt, pepper, lemon juice, and garlic. It's covered with onions and rings of green pepper, and then it's marinated for a couple of hours.
The stuffing is made with shrimps, lobster meat, ham, and onions. The snapper is stuffed, then cooked in the oven, and during the cooking, it's frequently brushed with oil or butter. Due to the size of the fish and the rich stuffing, pargo relleno is usually prepared for larger groups of people.
Tapou is a creamy fish-based stew originating from Belize. Apart from the fish, the soup can contain a wide range of ingredients such as coconut oil, garlic, onions, bell peppers, ginger, tomatoes, coconut milk, achiote paste, orange juice, lime juice, green bananas, cassava, potatoes, plantain, shrimps, cilantro, and various spices.
The fish is typically dredged in flour and fried until crisp, then combined with the stew. It is recommended to serve tapou with rice, Marie Sharp's hot sauce, and lime wedges on the side.
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