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.
A Caribbean Ceviche
Colombia's Caribbean ceviche is its own thing, distinct from the austere Peruvian style. Shrimp are marinated in lime with red onion and tomato, then bound with a sauce that often includes tomato ketchup and a little coconut cream in the Cartagena manner. It is served cold in a cup with patacones, fried green plantain chips, for scooping. The ketchup is not a shortcut but the traditional local addition.
“Colombia's Caribbean ceviche is its own thing, distinct from the austere Peruvian style.”
Cartagena Style
The dish belongs to Cartagena and the wider Caribbean coast, where it is sold from wheeled carts in the walled old city and along the waterfront. Cooks there favour a sweeter, softer profile than the sharp, clean ceviches of the Pacific. The shrimp are usually cooked rather than raw-cured, then chilled in the dressing.
Sweet, Sour and Cool
What sets the Cartagena cup apart is its balance of flavours: the sharpness of lime, the sweetness of ketchup and coconut, and the bite of raw onion, all kept cold against the coastal heat. It is less a purist's ceviche than a refreshing snack built for the climate. Hot sauce on the side lets each eater adjust the heat.
How It Is Served
Ceviche de camaron is street food, eaten standing from a plastic cup with a small fork or a plantain chip. The patacones do double duty as scoop and side, their starchy crunch against the cool, tangy shrimp. Bought fresh from a cart at sunset on the old city walls, it is one of Cartagena's simple pleasures.
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.
