It consists of a soup made up of reduced coconut milk,[2] with different types of seafood (fish, crabs, small lobsters or shellfish), plantain,[5] yam, tomato,[6] onion, and seasonings.

Rondón originated in Jamaica and was exported to Latin America by the Afro-Jamaican immigrant workers who migrated in the early 19th century to build projects such as the Panama Canal and the Costa Rican railroads.

[13][14] The dish is unique to the island, which its population, having left their homes in Africa, Europe, and Asia, were forced to use the limited amount of goods (for example, fish and coconut milk) that were widely available.

In Nicaragua, the meat used might be fish, beef, pork or even turtle meat—a common ingredient in Caribbean cuisine but also illegal in some countries—to which seasonings are added.

The meat might be fish, lobsters or crabs and spices such as thyme, garlic, onions and yellow lantern chilli or "chile panameño", an important ingredient in Costa Rican cuisine.