Colombia's Caribbean ceviche adds ketchup and coconut cream to the lime-and-shrimp formula — not a shortcut, but the traditional Cartagena style.
About Ceviche de Camarón
Caribbean Colombia's bright, acid cure — fresh shrimp marinated in lime juice with red onion, tomato, coriander and ají amarillo; unlike Peruvian ceviche, the Colombian version often adds ketchup and a splash of coconut cream; served in a cup with fried plantain chips (patacones) at Cartagena's street stalls.
Colombia's Caribbean ceviche is distinct from Peru's — shrimp marinated in lime with red onion, tomato and ají amarillo, but often including ketchup and coconut cream in the Cartagena style. Served in a cup with patacones (fried plantain chips). The ketchup is not a shortcut — it's the traditional Cartagena addition.
“Colombia's Caribbean ceviche is distinct from Peru's — shrimp marinated in lime with red onion, tomato and ají amarillo, but often including ketchup and coconut cream in the Cartagena style.”
Cartagena's old city street stalls serve ceviche in plastic cups from wheeled carts. The shrimp must be fresh from the Caribbean.
What to Expect
At a Cartagena street cart the ceviche arrives in a plastic cup with patacones alongside. The lime is sharp, the coconut adds sweetness, the ketchup depth. Eat with the plantain chips as the vehicle.
Why Try It
Colombian ceviche shows how the same basic concept adapts completely to its coastline — the Caribbean version is sweeter and less austere than the Peruvian original.
Insider Tips
- Only in Cartagena does the ketchup version make sense — embrace it.
- The shrimp must be fresh — pre-frozen shrimp makes the lime marinade watery.
- Eat at a street cart on the old city walls at sunset.
