This week I have been travelling around Peru, from the country's capital of Lima to a beachside city in the northern region of Piura. Currently I am staying in a small surf town called Lobitos. It's extremely beautiful and right on the coast of the Pacific Ocean. Because of its location, fish is a huge part of most meals and is very easy to find. We buy ingredients at small local stores called “tiendas” or “bodegas” in Spanish. We cook in a shared kitchen that has only a gas stove and some small plates. If we are out walking around, we will go to a cafe or restaurant to get a taste of the typical dishes served here.
While here in Lobitos, I have tried fried fish and rice alongside some fresh produce. This is a very typical meal in Peru's coastal towns. You can have your fish fried, “frito” in Spanish, or you can have it grilled (“a la plancha”). Either way is delicious, and every fish meal comes with a side of rice and a salad or “ensalada” which is usually tomatoes or purple onions covered in lime juice. The fish is caught daily off the local pier and is sold to restaurants to then serve to their customers. We walked down to the pier and saw the fisherman collecting the fish with huge nets and fishing rods. We eat the whole fish, eyeballs and all! The produce is grown locally and is sold in baskets at the local bodegas.
