Few People are accustomed to Panamanian delicacies. It’s a specialty of chef Saul Umaña, the culinary director at Panama’s Islas Secas resort, located on a personal island 20 miles off the nation’s Pacific coast.
“Panamanian delicacies is cosmopolitan, stuffed with historical past, heritage and tropical taste with Afro, Asian, Spanish, American and Indian influences,” says Umaña, who was raised in neighboring Costa Rica. “That’s why the flavors that we use are stuffed with custom and historical past.”
Chef Saul Umaña, the culinary director at Panama’s Islas Secas resort, appreciates the gastronomic … [+]
Umaña says it’s very tough to call his favourite Panamanian dish, as a result of the delicacies has such all kinds of flavors and traditions. However then he mentions guachito, a dish based mostly on rice and broth, generally referred to as a Panamanian risotto.
“It’s actually scrumptious,” Umaña says. “We pay homage to it at Islas Secas by making various kinds of rice to boost the historical past of the dish.”
Visitors at Panama’s Islas Secas are cooked a beachside Panamanian dinner by culinary director Saul … [+]
What may be a pattern menu for a visitor throughout a keep at Islas Secas, which provides seven casitas priced at $2,500-$12,000 per evening in the course of the present off-peak season?
“For breakfast, you’ll have to attempt the hojaldra, a typical Panamanian breakfast served with a chunk of tenderloin, a poached egg, tomato sauce, chombo pepper and sautéed onions,” Umaña says. “Then you would need to attempt my scrumptious corn waffles, impressed by the standard Panamanian bollo (a bun constituted of corn, yuca or potato). We serve this with a ardour fruit hollandaise sauce, two poached eggs and crispy bacon.”
For lunch, the chef recommends “the seafood stars” for starters, Panamanian ceviche and clams, in addition to carimañola (a yuca fritter full of meat) and empanadas. For a essential course, he recommends the catch of the day, pulpo al coco (an octopus risotto with yuca and coconut milk), jerk hen or seafood black rice.
“For dinner,” Umaña says, “I at all times change the menu for a five-course meal, utilizing the native merchandise with my very own twist. You’ll additionally expertise a personal seaside barbecue, a scrumptious meal with Panama’s in style smoky taste that we prepare dinner in entrance of our company.”
Anybody wishing to pattern Panamanian delicacies with out visiting Panama would possibly attempt KC Gourmet Empanadas in Manhattan, Umaña suggests. The restaurant provides quite a few distinctive empanadas, together with one with mussels, squid, clams, octopus and shrimp, and one other with macaroni, three kinds of cheese and smoked bacon.
“The restaurant is led by chef Karla Cruz, and critiques say it has the perfect empanadas in New York,” Umaña says.
