Ceviche, the vibrant dish from South America, has become a beloved staple in Belizean cuisine. Originally a Peruvian creation made with fish marinated in citrus juice, Belizeans have added their own unique flair to this classic dish over the years. In this week’s edition of Kolcha Tuesday, we catch up with the owners of Don Ceviche, a popular food truck in Belize City, to discover the secrets behind authentic Belizean Ceviche. Here’s News Five’s Britney Gordon with a full story.
Ceviche, a dish adored by Belizeans, is a must-have at social gatherings and seaside restaurants across the country. Originally hailing from Peru and made with fresh tomatoes, onions, and fish, Belizeans have added their own twist, making it a beloved national delicacy. In Belize City, you can find this tasty treat at many spots, including the popular Don Ceviche food truck, conveniently parked in front of the Baron Bliss Lighthouse.
Paul Schmidt III, Co-owner, Don Ceviche
“Ceviche has always been, I don’t wanna say a staple, but has always been around different tables. If you go to a party event, you try it and be like, okay, I don’t like it this time. I do like it. But me personally, I can make ceviche, but really Ruben is, for me, the person who can make the best ceviche. And so when that came about we were thinking of a job to do at the time. And so I said, well, let’s just put a little bit of money together. And we’ll try to do something on the weekends”
Don Ceviche, co-owned by Paul Schmidt III and chef Ruben Mejia Garcia, started as a small venture selling ceviche outside their homes. As word spread and demand grew, they expanded to a food truck, allowing them to offer a variety of ceviche flavors. Today, Don Ceviche is a beloved spot in Belize City, known for its delicious and diverse ceviche menu.
Ruben Mejia Garcia, Co-owner, Don Ceviche
“It start as an idea from a side job from home, and then it gets bigger because people want it, eventually they want to have more and more in the in the menu because we start only with shrimp ceviche. Then we become to add in more types of the ceviche. And now we have a full menu as you see in the front. We already have depends of the season of course. Because we are just going with the season, the shrimp is the only one that don’t have season right here in Belize and that is the only one that we always have. Then we have octopus, conch ceviche. We have even squid. We try once, but people no, go that way.”
Across Latin America, ceviche is made with a variety of proteins, but in Belize, shrimp and conch are usually the highest in demand.
“The main menu is shrimp, conch, octopus, if we have it, even fish ceviche sometimes, when we can do it. And we also do sal picon as well. So sal picon I don’t know if it’s, I think it’s more a Belizean thing. The way how we prepare it, because I know sal picon like in Mexico is more like a stew in Mexico, but sa;l picon for us is basically we substitute the protein, the fish or in this case, the shrimp for pork. So it’s either smoked pork or it might be arrachera beef.”
Chef Ruben Mejia Garcia, originally from El Salvador, had seen ceviche in his homeland but never truly appreciated it until he moved to Belize a decade ago. It was here that he fell in love with the dish, embracing the Belizean twist on this South American favorite and making it a central part of his culinary journey at Don Ceviche.
“ Have you had ceviche before you came to Belize? Is this something that’s made in El Salvador?”
Ruben Mejia Garcia
“This is something that is Latin American. Everybody knows how to do ceviche, but they have their own recipe. And when I was in Salvador, to be honest, I never tried to do ceviche. Until when I came here is when I learned to do ceviche.”
According to Schmidt, while ceviche is a simple dish, everyone prepares it differently and those subtle changes can be the difference between a good and bad bowl.
“ I think what we stay true to is freshness. We always try to make sure that it is made fresh. So he’s really the one who makes ceviche. So when we even thought about the name or when I thought about the name, I said, if you’re the one that is the boss of ceviche, or like a mero mero we say in Spanish, right, which is like the best and you’re the don. So I said, you’re gonna be Don Ceviche.”
The owners try to support local fishermen and farmers by locally sourcing all their ingredients.
Britney Gordon
“Which one is your favorite to make and to eat?”
“Well to make is the conch because that is what people like. But if you ask me to eat ceviche, I will prefer shrimp that I could eat every day.”
Britney Gordon
“Do you ever get tired of ceviche?”
Not really. That is something that I think when you love what you do, you no get tired.”
Schmidt and Garcia have grown a loyal customer base in the seven years they have been in operation and are confident that their business will continue to thrive as long as Belizeans continue to love ceviche.
Paul Schmidt III
“Ceviche is sort of a luxury food. And you want to have ceviche with a drink. You know, we don’t have drinks here at the park. Or we don’t have a license for that, but some guys, you know, some families will come out, maybe they’ll have a beer in hand or something, or some drink, or they’re gonna go home with their beers and what they need, their ceviche. So it’s a part of their staple now, you know, at least a weekend staple.”
Britney Gordon for News Five.
