Pirarucu

Ingredients

Fish, salted

• 800 gpirarucu seco, salted and dried
• cold water, for soaking

Or fresh

• 6pirarucu steaks, about 200 g each
• juice of 2 limes
• salt and pepper

Base

• 3 tbspoil or dendê
• 2onions, sliced
• 4tomatoes, chopped
• 1red pepper, sliced
• 4 clovesgarlic
• 1 bunchcoriander
• 2spring onions

To serve

• farofa
• boiled cassava
• white rice
• tucupi with pimenta de cheiro

Optional

• 200 mlcoconut milk

Directions

1. Taste a small flake after 18 hours. It should taste seasoned rather than salty.
2. Poach the desalted fish in barely simmering water for 10 minutes, then drain and flake it, removing any bones. Never boil it hard, which toughens the flakes.
3. Heat a heavy pan until genuinely hot and sear the steaks 4 to 5 minutes on the first side without moving them. Leave it alone until it releases from the pan on its own.
4. Turn once and give the second side 3 minutes. Pirarucu is lean and dries out quickly, so take it off while the centre is just opaque.
5. Add the garlic, pepper and tomatoes and cook down to a thick sauce. Add the flaked fish and warm it through for 5 minutes only.
6. Add the flaked fish at the end, because it has already been cooked once and it disintegrates with further simmering.
7. Stir in the coconut milk if using and warm it without boiling. Scatter coriander and spring onion over. Serve with farofa, boiled cassava and white rice, which is the standard Amazonian plate.

Technique

• Managed-fishery pirarucu is now exported and increasingly available outside Brazil.
• The salted version keeps for months and was the traditional way of moving it upriver.
• It has very little fat, which is why it overcooks so easily.

Substitutions

• Salt cod, prepared exactly the same way.
• Any firm meaty white fish for the fresh version.

Variations

• Grilled fresh over charcoal.
• Pirarucu de casaca, a layered Amazonian bake with plantain and farofa.
• In a moqueca with coconut milk and dendê.

History

Called the cod of the Amazon when salted; community-managed fishing quotas in Amazonas revived stocks after decades of overfishing.

Frequently asked questions

What is Pirarucu?

Pirarucu is a main from Brazil: giant Amazon fish, salted and dried or grilled fresh with cassava. Called the cod of the Amazon when salted; community-managed fishing quotas in Amazonas revived stocks after decades of overfishing.

How long does Pirarucu take to make?

Pirarucu takes 30 min plus 24 hr desalting for the dried fish of preparation and 40 min of cooking. The recipe makes 6 servings. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Pirarucu?

Yes, within limits. Salt cod, prepared exactly the same way. Any firm meaty white fish for the fresh version.

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

Taste a small flake after 18 hours. It should taste seasoned rather than salty.