In the summer of 2009, I was lucky enough to travel through Guatemala and have this exotic and exquisite dish.
The above picture might confuse some people. Crab? Shrimp? Fried Fish? in Soup? How could that ever taste good? To be honest, I had no idea what I was ordering. I was given some advice from some locals my friends and I met, and when we visited Livingston I had to order Tapado. It is a traditional dish of the Garifuna culture that dominated Livingston, so being the foodie I am, I had to have it.
Garifuna is a blend of Caribbean, African, and Guatemalan culture that is mainly centered in the coastal town of Livingston. The name Livingston does not sound the least bit Hispanic (former British colony), but it was probably the only town I saw that was so rich in their culture. It really was another world. The traditional indigenous populations coexisted side-by-side with the comforting and free-flowing Garifuna culture. When we arrived, we were greeted by a boatman who spoke a good amount of English and of whom made it America himself where he had family. He brought us to The African Palace located on the outside of the town a walk away from the Pacific Coast, and that night we enjoyed a concert full of reggae and dancehall music. A fire-show lit up the night and the party continued up the streets until early morning.
The meal enjoyed above was at a dock-side restaurant run by a school for students training to be in the tourist business. Unfortunately, with the wide income gap, the disturbing amount of people living in poverty in Guatemala, and the lack of government funding for schools, there was very little opportunities for children to learn a trade or gain a satisfactory education. A teacher myself, this school held a certain place in my heart. In fact, we had the best service from our young waiter and the food was both beautiful and delicious. Every so often, I think about the young men that served us and cooked our food and hope they are continuing with their success.
The dish was a mix of freshly caught fish from the ocean that you could see from your table and local ingredients. Boiled plantains, coconut, pepper, condensed milk, ginger, and a mixture of other spices filled the broth. I had to think of the best strategy before I began to eat. Where would I start?
I had a nut cracker for the crab, a bowl of fragrant rice beside the soup, and sufficient amounts of water. I started with the fried fish since it was the boniest. It was sweet from the coconut and crunchy from the thin batter that it was fried in. The shrimp were tender and held the broth well. The crab was especially fun, using the cracker to break open the main shell and sucking out the goodness from the legs. After all the fish was eaten, I poured the rice in the remaining broth and devoured it. It was the most satisfying (and fun!) dish I had the whole trip….as the picture below illustrates.
It goes without saying that I had it again right before we left the town. The second time was in another restaurant, much more rustic, and though it was delicious, it did not top this one. Maybe it was the ambiance, maybe it was the students serving us, maybe it was the fact that it was the first time I had it…but I am still looking for a version of it that would come close to it. I’m pretty content with just resigning myself to the simple truth: no other dish could compare.
If you are interested in finding a recipe, good luck. As soon as I came back to New York, I scoured the internet. Here’s a link to one of the few recipes I found that sounded close to the real thing: Tapado.
But what’s more fun that eating Garifuna food? Enjoying them on these tables…
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