The hot days of summer always remind me of my Miami and Caribbean roots. No, I don’t miss the heat and humidity but I do miss other things. Like the warm, clear blue waters of the Atlantic and its tributaries … sipping cool cocktails on a sandy beach after a day of snorkeling … and the ethnic blends of Cuban, Haitian, Jamaican, Bahamian, Puerto Rican and other island foods and drinks.
Two of my favorite stay-cool treats in hot weather are ceviche and mojitos. Neither can be beat for offering resort-like refreshment on a hot summer day but together, the pairing will bring sublime joy to your palate while conjuring up refrains of that song, “Don’t Worry, Be Happy.”
Ceviche – or seviche or cebiche, depending on the recipe of origin – is a centuries-old Latin American dish, served as an appetizer or main dish. Seafood is prepared by a non-cook method: using the acidic juices of citrus fruit to “cook” the fish flesh until it becomes opaque and firm. It is said that fishermen, most likely in Ecuador or Peru, created the original ceviche as a way to “cook” pieces of the fish they caught to eat for an on-water lunch, using lemons and salt in lieu of heat and consuming the citrus-soaked fish immediately.
The “old world” dish became a popular “new world cuisine” appetizer during the 1980s in South Florida, where many South American and Caribbean immigrants remembered it from their own countries. Since then, many variations on the basic ceviche recipe have been created. The low-fat, low-calorie and low-carb dish lends itself well to light summer snacking, along with a ice-cold drink like the mojito.
Mojito (pronounced: mo-hi-to) is traditionally made of five ingredients: mint, rum, sugar, lime juice and club soda. The drink originated during the days of European explorers into Caribbean waters. According to legend, a medicinal tonic made from an early-generation version of rum was concocted by a British pirate, Richard Drake, to soothe the body as well as the soul. As rum was increasingly refined, the drink eventually evolved into the mojito and became a drink of enjoyment rather than healing. According to www.barcardimojito.com, the word mojito comes from the African word “mojo” or magic and means to cast a little spell. I love that definition as mojitos have a wonderful light-hearted taste to them that definitely evokes a little magic, like its Brazilian cousin, the caipirinha. While the mojito is made with rum, a derivative of molasses, the caipirinha is made with cachaÁa, a derivative of sugarcane juice.
If you want to take yourself on a spiritual vacation to a remote Caribbean island before summer’s end, make generous amounts of the recipes that follow, then laze around your pool or under a shady spot to enjoy the cooling combo. Better yet, make large group batches of mojitos and ceviche and invite friends over for an afternoon Caribbean cruise.
Bon voyage!
Jacqui Love Marshall lives in Danville with her vintage-car-loving husband, two pugs and binders of recipes. E-mail her at Epicure@DanvilleWeekly.com.
