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Puerto Rico · Blue Runner

Crispy Fried Blue Runner, Fishing-Village Style

Cojinúa Frita

At the kiosks along the Naguabo malecón, cojinúa comes straight off the boats. It’s scored deep, rubbed with garlic adobo and fried whole until the skin crackles.

  • Prep 15 min + 20 min seasoning
  • Cook 20 min
  • Serves 4
  • Level Easy
Photo: Juan Emilio Prades Bel · CC BY 4.0
Served with: Puerto Rican Mofongo ↓En Español

Ingredients

Tap each item as you gather it.

For the fish

To serve

Method

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

  1. Score the fish. Cut deep diagonal slashes, about ½ inch (1 cm) apart, down to the bone on both sides. This lets the heat and the seasoning reach the center of this thick-bodied fish.
  2. Make the adobo. Mash the garlic, oregano, salt and pepper in a pilón (mortar) with the olive oil. Rub the fish with cut lime, then push the adobo into the slashes and the belly. Let it sit 20 minutes.
  3. Heat the oil. Heat 1 inch (2.5 cm) of oil in a deep skillet to 350 °F (175 °C). Pat the fish dry and dust it lightly with flour if you like.
  4. Fry. Fry 2 fish at a time, 6–8 minutes per side, until deep golden and crisp and the meat at the bone is opaque. Drain on a rack.
  5. Serve. Serve hot with lime wedges, pique and a mound of mofongo.

On the side

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

Puerto Rico

Puerto Rican Mofongo

Mofongo

Fried green plantains pounded in a pilón with garlic and crispy chicharrón, shaped into a dome. Along the coast it comes with fish or shrimp in a garlicky sauce poured over.

  • Prep 15 min
  • Cook 20 min
  • Serves 4
  • Level Medium

You need

  • 4 green plantains
  • Vegetable oil for frying
  • 6 garlic cloves
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 cup chicharrón (pork cracklings) or crisp bacon, crumbled
  • ½ cup warm chicken or fish broth

How to make it

  1. Fry the plantains. Peel the plantains and cut into 1-inch (2.5 cm) pieces. Fry at 350 °F (175 °C) for 6–8 minutes until golden outside and cooked through but not crisp. Drain.
  2. Garlic paste. In a pilón (mortar), mash the garlic with the salt and olive oil into a paste.
  3. Pound. Working in batches while the plantains are hot, add a few pieces and some chicharrón to the garlic and pound until mashed but still a bit chunky. Add a spoonful of broth if it is dry.
  4. Shape. Press each portion into a small bowl to make a dome and turn it out onto a plate. Serve hot with the fish and its sauce.

Photo: Sen166 · CC BY-SA 4.0

More ways to cook Blue Runner

Same fish, a different corner of the sea.

Lisbon, PortugalLisbon-Style Fried Jacks
Huelva, Andalusia, SpainAndalusian Paprika Escabeche
Chimbote, PeruPeruvian Jack Sudado