DFong

I don't recall Panamanian ceviche having oranges, but I'll defer to Ana. I believe the orange juice was for the Peruvian ceviche recipe. As for serving the ceviche, I use saltines here in the U.S. as well, but in Panama ceviche is typically served in small, pastry shells ("canastitas"). The cups need to hold up to the ceviche, so they are more on the denser side (kind of, but not as dense as, the outside of an empanada) rather than a buttery, flaky shell. Ana, thanks for the information on culantro. The cilantro in the U.S. is too powerful so I'll start looking out for the fitweed. My cousin also thought she found a decent substitute in a Vietnamese market, but I don't remember what the plant was called. Oh man, now I have a craving for a good ceviche . . .

Jaymes, I'm new to the Forum, and realize this discussion was last year. . . but if you're still looking for a substitute for corvina in the U.S., my dad makes his Panamanian ceviche with orange roughy, with good results (i.e., the fish doesn't fall apart in the marinade). In fact, when he makes large batches for family reunions he likes to use frozen Trader Joe's orange roughy (not sure what part of the country you're in if you're close to a Trader Joe's) because he says it's easier to handle and faster to cut the white fish. Cheers, Debbie