Corviche

Ingredients

Dough

• 6green plantains
• 150 groasted peanuts, ground
• 1 teaspoonsalt
• 2 tablespoonsoil
• water, as needed

Filling

• 400 gfresh tuna or firm white fish
• 1onion, finely chopped
• 1green pepper, finely chopped
• 3garlic cloves, crushed
• 2tomatoes, chopped
• 1 teaspoonground cumin
• 1 teaspoonachiote or paprika
• 3 tablespoonsoil
• salt and black pepper
• a handful of coriander, chopped

To fry

• oil, for deep frying

To serve

• lime wedges
• aji, chilli sauce
• sliced onion in lime

Directions

1. Cut the ends off with a knife. Score the skin lengthways in three places. Cut through the skin but not the flesh. Rub your hands with oil first if you can. It also makes them sticky for hours. Cut the peeled plantains into chunks. Boil them in salted water until soft. Give them about twenty minutes.
2. Drain them thoroughly afterwards. Let them steam dry for a moment. Mashing them must be done hot. Mash the plantain while it is still very hot. Cold plantain goes hard and will not mash. Work fast and use a heavy masher. It should become a smooth stiff dough. Grind the roasted peanuts finely. Grind them in short sharp pulses.
3. Work the ground peanut into the hot dough. Add the salt and the oil to it. Knead it thoroughly with your hands. It should be smooth and hold together. Add a little warm water if it cracks.
4. Add a little more ground peanut if it sticks. It should be pliable enough to shape. Keep it covered so it does not dry out. Making the filling is done alongside. Heat the oil in a pan over a medium heat. Fry the chopped onion and pepper for six minutes. Add the crushed garlic and cook for one minute.
5. Add the cumin and the achiote. Add the chopped tomatoes to the pan. Cook them down for about six minutes. Cut the fish into small pieces. Add it to the pan with the rest. Cook it for about five minutes.
6. Break it up with a spoon as it cooks. It should flake apart completely. Season it well with salt and black pepper. Stir in the chopped coriander. Cook it until it is dry rather than saucy. Wet filling bursts the balls open in the oil. Let it cool completely before using it. Warm filling makes the dough go slack. Shaping them takes some practice.
7. Take a handful of the warm dough. Flatten it into a thick disc in your palm. Put a spoonful of cold filling in the centre. Fold the dough up around the filling. Seal it completely so no filling shows. Shape it into a ball or a short oval. Set them out on a tray as you go. Frying them needs the right heat.
8. Pour oil into a deep pan to eight centimetres. Never fill a pan more than halfway with oil. Heat the oil to about 175C for frying. A scrap of dough should sizzle up at once.
9. Fry them for about six minutes. Turn them over as they colour. They should be deep golden all over. Break one open from the first batch. The dough should be cooked right through. Lift them onto kitchen paper to drain. Serving them is done piping hot. Serve aji chilli sauce alongside. They go soft as they cool down.

Technique

• Manabi on the Ecuadorian coast uses peanut in savoury cooking far more than the rest of the country, and this dough is one example.
• The ground peanut is worked right into the dough and cannot be removed, so anyone with a peanut allergy must be told plainly.
• Green plantain must be mashed while very hot, since it goes hard and unworkable as soon as it cools.

Substitutions

• Any firm white fish works in place of tuna, and tinned tuna is used by some cooks.
• There is no substitute for the ground peanut, which is central to the dough.

Variations

• Some cooks add cheese to the filling alongside the fish.
• A version with a plainer dough and no peanut is made in some households.
• Bolon de verde, a plantain ball filled with cheese or pork, is a related Ecuadorian dish.

History

Coastal Manabí street food, sold from stalls and eaten with lime and hot sauce.

Frequently asked questions

What is Corviche?

Corviche is a street food from Ecuador: fried ball of green plantain dough stuffed with fish and peanut. Coastal Manabí street food, sold from stalls and eaten with lime and hot sauce.

How long does Corviche take to make?

Corviche takes 45 minutes of preparation and 25 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes about 12 balls. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Corviche?

Yes, within limits. Any firm white fish works in place of tuna, and tinned tuna is used by some cooks. There is no substitute for the ground peanut, which is central to the dough.

What is the most important thing to get right in Corviche?

Drain them thoroughly afterwards. Let them steam dry for a moment. Mashing them must be done hot. Mash the plantain while it is still very hot. Cold plantain goes hard and will not mash. Work fast and use a heavy masher. It should become a smooth stiff dough. Grind the roasted peanuts finely. Grind them in short sharp pulses.