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Venezuela · Bigmouth Sleeper

Venezuelan River Fish in Sofrito Sauce

Pescado en Salsa

On the banks of the Orinoco, river fish is simmered in a sauce of ají dulce, onion, tomato and onoto, then served with rice and sweet fried plantain tajadas.

  • Prep 20 min
  • Cook 35 min
  • Serves 4
  • Level Easy
Photo: muffinn from Worcester, UK · CC BY 2.0
Served with: Sweet Fried Plantains ↓En Español

Ingredients

Tap each item as you gather it.

For the fish

For the sauce

Method

Step by step, the way it is done on the island.

  1. Season. Rub the fish with lime, salt, pepper and garlic and let it sit 15 minutes.
  2. Color the oil. Warm the oil with the onoto seeds over low heat for 2 minutes until the oil turns red-orange, then lift out the seeds.
  3. Make the sofrito. Cook the onion, ajíes, bell pepper, garlic and leek in the onoto oil 8 minutes. Add the tomatoes, cumin and salt and cook 5 minutes more.
  4. Simmer the fish. Add the water, bring to a simmer and lay in the fish. Cover and cook 12–15 minutes, spooning sauce over, until the fish flakes.
  5. Serve. Finish with cilantro and serve with white rice and tajadas of ripe plantain.

On the side

The side dish that belongs with it, full recipe included.

Spanish Caribbean

Sweet Fried Plantains

Maduros

Very ripe, black-skinned plantains fried until caramelized and soft as butter. From Havana to San Juan to Santo Domingo, they bring a sweet bite to the fish plate.

  • Prep 5 min
  • Cook 10 min
  • Serves 4
  • Level Easy

You need

  • 3 very ripe plantains (skins mostly black)
  • ½ cup vegetable oil
  • Pinch of salt

How to make it

  1. Slice. Cut off the ends, slit the skin and peel. Slice on a long diagonal about ½ inch (1 cm) thick.
  2. Fry. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat to about 325 °F (165 °C). Fry the slices 2–3 minutes per side until deep golden with dark caramelized edges.
  3. Drain. Drain on paper, sprinkle with a pinch of salt and serve warm.

Photo: Bim24 · CC BY-SA 4.0

More ways to cook Bigmouth Sleeper

Same fish, a different corner of the sea.

Arecibo, Puerto RicoPuerto Rican Fried Guavina
Sancti Spíritus, CubaCuban River Fish Escabeche
Recôncavo, Bahia, BrazilBrazilian River-Fish Moqueca