This week, I had the privilege and the opportunity to be in the beautiful state of California  to attend a cooking conference in Newport, California. Since my husband and I had never traveled to this state, we decided to come two days earlier to try to see a bit of this amazing state before the conference started. And I will have to tell you that I have fallen in love with this part of the world. The weather is so mild and the scenery is so amazing!!! So in those two days, we raced to see as much as we could in that short period of time. We saw Santa Barbara, Santa Monica, Malibu Beach, Beverly Hills, San Diego and of course New Port Beach since it is where we stayed. I loved every single places we visited. They were all so beautiful!

But I really like San Diego. I wanted to go there because it was recommended by a friend of mine. But the distance to get there really limited our time to see the whole San Diego. Since we were only able to spend a few hours in San Diego, we chose to go to the Old Town since it is said to be “ the birthplace of California”.

“San Diego is the site of the first permanent Spanish settlement in California. It was here in 1769, that Father Junipero Serra came to establish the very first mission in a chain of 21 missions that were to be the cornerstone of California’s colonization. Father Serra’s mission and Presidio were built on a hillside overlooking what is currently known as Old Town San Diego. At the base of the hill in 1820’s, a small Mexican community of adobe buildings was formed and by 1835 had attained the status of El Pueblo de San Diego. In 1846, a U.S. Navy Lieutenant and a Marine Lieutenant, raised the American flag in the Old Town San Diego Plaza”. http://www.oldtownsandiegoguide.com/history.html
Most buildings are original, and the village is set as in the past so you really feel like you are going back in time of American Colonization. Among the many buildings, you can find shops and restaurants, and of course Mexican restaurants.

We chose to have lunch at “La Casa de Rey” since it was suggested as one of the best in the area. I am not fond of Mexican food, but was looking forward sitting and enjoying a nice lunch in this colorful place. While my husband chose a traditional mexican dish, I chose to eat something much lighter and much healthier …Shrimp Ceviche.
I had already presented the Ceviche in one of my previous post so you should know that  it is orginary from Peru, but also found in many hispanic restaurants.

It is really easy to make. So if you are at loss of finding a refreshing dish in the hot summer, I highly advise you to fix this instead of what we know in the South as Shrimp Salad.
Obviously I did not make this Ceviche, but this is the recipe I make when i do…

Ingredients:
3lbs of small raw shrimps deveined and peeled and diced, 4 large Roma tomatoes, diced, 2 cucumber peeled and diced, 6 limes juiced, 4 lemons juiced, 1 cup of chopped cilantro, 1 small red onion diced,  1 tsp of tabasco sauce ( or more if you like spicy), salt and pepper to taste.
In a large bowl, mix together the lime and the lemon juice, salt and pepper and tabasco sauce. Add the shrimps, toss well and let it rest for about 3 hours. Then add everything else: diced tomatoes, diced cucumber, finely diced red onion, chopped cilantro, and mix well. Place in the refrigerator for another hour. To serve, place the ceviche in a large bowl or in individual bowls and serve with tortillas…

Bon Appetit and Happy Cooking!!!