As some of you know, I recently returned from La Paz, Baja California Sur in Mexico, where I was on a sponsored TweetUp for the Mexico Tourism Board organised by the amazing folks at Ogilvy.
On the Friday, we headed out bright and early with Fun Baja, set for a day of snorkelling, kayaking, cooking lessons and whatever the Sea of Cortez had to offer! Based in La Paz, Grupo Fun Baja offers opportunities to explore the wonders of the beautiful Baja California Sur region. Take the opportunity to swim with sea lions, whale sharks and the wide variety of marine life that inhabits the Sea. They offer Scuba Day Trips, Scuba Camping Adventures, Scuba Diving Certification Programs, Kayaking, and Snorkeling Camping excursions or an Island Day Trip. Or you could opt for a Land Tour, which takes you inside the rustic charm of the Baja peninsula with trips to Todos Santos & Pescadero, El Triunfo, La Paz and Los Cabos. At special times of the year they offer one and two day whale watching adventures. Fun Baja also offers a trip to the amazing Copper Canyon (a destination I can HIGHLY recommend) on the mainland side of the Sea.
Time being of the essence for our group, we took in a one-day adventure. We visited a rookery site for the California sea lion and snorkelled very close to them (some people closer than others!)
The seem like friendly little guys but under water and up close they are a bit scary! We were assured that as long as we didn’t get too close, all would be well. And it was!
Of course, a boatful of bloggers took a lot of pictures! Below – Katja, Dian and Gary…
The scenery was simply stunning. Photoshopped colours
We headed to the Ensenada Grande beach for lunch – a veritable feast!
And spend some time wandering around the Dive Camp that is set up on the Island. Check out the bathrooms!
They have the best view. Ever.
We took a little afternoon paddle….
And learned how to make ceviche with Chef Antonio Jesús…
Do you see what’s a part of his mise en place? On the bottom left? Yup, it’s a can of beer! And not for him to drink either! The ceviche was part-marinaded in the beer and was honestly one of the best I have eaten. Of course, the tropical island, the palm trees, the white sand surroundings might have had something to do with that…. 😉
Chef led us through the very quick steps to making an excellent ceviche – the secret is super fresh ingredients.
Gorgeously plated! You’d never know it came out of a teeny, makeshift kitchen. It could be from a five start restaurant!
We dug in, even though we were still full from lunch. So fresh. The soft white fish melted in your mouth. The lime and cilantro provided some brightness whilst the chile (seeds removed) packed a little punch.
On the way home, we were treated to some dolphin antics. A whole pod of them surfed the waves next to us!
It was a wonderful day out in the Sea of Cortez – such an unspoiled paradise for nature lovers. Thank you Fun Baja 🙂
Last weekend we had a few friends over to commiserate the end of the summer and I decided to try my hand at Chef Antonio’s ceviche. Having video notes from the class and many photos, I knew the general premise of the recipe so here’s what worked for me:
Ingredients
200 g white fish (like tilapia)
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1 cup beer (preferably a light beer but I used an IPA because that’s what we had and it was fine)
1/2 green pepper, very finely chopped
1/2 red pepper, very finely chopped
1 jalapeño pepper, deseeded and very finely chopped
1 small or 1/2 medium red onion, very finely diced
3 medium tomatoes, deseeded and finely chopped
handful cilantro, roughly chopped
Method
Combine lemon and lime juices and beer. Marinade the fish in the liquid, refrigerated for about 30 minutes.
Drain the fish and mix in peppers, onion, tomatoes and cilantro.
Serve immediately with tortilla chips (totopos) for dipping.
Chef Rick Bayless in Baja in Food and Wine July 2011.
Mexico, One plate at a time – behind the scenes with Rick Bayless
Disclaimer: Flights to and from La Paz, accommodation at the Costa Baja Resort and all meals were provided by the We Visit Mexico team. I was not compensated for this trip or writing this post and all opinions are, and will always be, 100% my own.
What a great trip! The first thing I noticed was the beer in the mis en place. I never thought of beer in ceviche, but it makes perfect sense! Beautiful post!!!!
It is quite simply, brilliant!
Would you notice me if I hid in your suitcase! What a marvelous adventure…and the ceviche looks amazing!!! I’d love to find that dish parked in my refrigerator 🙂
Would love to share an adventure with you Liz!
Ah, what memories 🙂 I STILL have markings of the blister in my finger reminding me of the friendly kayaking competition with you and Lisa! Makes me smile every time I look at my finger. I have been wanting to try ceviche at home, but still haven’t…
A kayaking competition? With MARDI?!?!?
Mais oui! I have been taught by the best. LOL!
LOL I loved our kayaking race!
Tough work! =) Sounds like such a blast – that ceviche is eye-popping.
Well it *was* a little bit of work amongst all the fun!
Sweet memories! Yum 🙂
🙂 Yum!
Looks AWESOME! What a super fun day!
xoxo from Trinidad
It was a fabulous day indeed!
I loved those little dolls on the outdoor potty!
I know, right? 😉
Loved the video of the dolphins! Almost as if they were chasing your boat saying *Watch me jump! Watch me!* So glad that you did and shared your clip with us.
Your ceviche looks wonderful and Chef Antonio is brilliant to add beer to his recipe. Why not!
Best wishes for a wonderful school year Mardi! Looking forward to your Les Petits Chefs starting back up again as I’m sure you are as well.
Thanks Paula, I am gearing up for an exciting term with Les Petits Chefs!
Your pictures are lovely. Kudos for making the most of your time there!
Thanks so much!
Looks like you had a fantastic vacation! That ceviche looks incredible and I usually don’t even like ceviche!
Well me neither LOL!
Okay I had to chuckle with Mardi’s “one of the best ceviche I’ve ever had”. What, of the three she’s tried? 😉 This from a girl who wouldn’t go *near* the stuff, until I showed her the light…
I especially love the 1/3 can of cerveza as marinade. It means you have 2/3 of a can remaining…oh what to do, what to do?
Mardi used black Hungarian peppers from my garden…I warned her they were hot, and she actually had to remove some as they were (delectably) killer!
I’m sure now that Mardi’s a convert, we’ll be having this more often…
Totally!
Oh, I wish I’d seen this before this weekend – I just made ceviche for a backyard bbq and it turned out great – but the addition of beer to marinate would have been amazing!
Beer = awesome in ceviche!
It looked like you had a really nice time on the trip. I heard great things about it! Lovely pictures!
Yes it was a lovely time indeed. Thanks!
Agree with all, BEAUTIFUL MEMORIES
Well we had a great guide!
Welcome back! Just by looking at your colorful ceviche and photos, I feel like I’m there myself!
Glad to oblige!
This gorgeous post clearly tells me I need a holiday. Love the bright colours, scenery and food!
I love Mexico’s colours too!
wow that is a nice trip and the food so yummy… love to taste that all
Yes it was a great and tasty trip!
This looks like such an awesome time! I’m not going to lie: I’m a little jealous. I’m eating my face off in Asia, but somehow when I’m abroad the thing I always *really* crave is Mexican; nice job going straight to the source! And thanks for sharing on vacay time – I love the use of beer, and am totally trying this when I get back to address those south-of-the-border cravings…
Beer in ceviche is just brilliant!
That ceviche looks very tasty, but all the talk of diving really makes me miss scuba diving. I’ve done some diving around Cozumel.
Well we didn’t do any diving….
Ceviche is one of my fave friends! But alas, I am pregnant with baby #3, and should be avoiding “raw” and acidic foods!
Sorry, meant to say *fave foods* (not fave friends)! These preggo hormones are making me a space cadet – that’s my excuse!
No worries! I am sure that you will be eating ceviche as soon as baby #3 makes its appearance!