← All recipes · Species guide: Mahi-Mahi
Peru · Mahi-Mahi

Peruvian Fish with Spicy Seafood Sauce

Pescado a lo Macho

A big, bold Lima classic: a golden fish fillet buried under a creamy, spicy sauce of shrimp, squid and mussels made with ají amarillo and ají panca. They say it is for “machos” because of the heat.

  • Prep 25 min
  • Cook 30 min
  • Serves 4
  • Level Medium
Photo: MiguelAlanCS · CC BY-SA 4.0
Served with: Fried Cassava Sticks ↓En Español

Ingredients

Tap each item as you gather it.

For the fish

For the seafood sauce

Method

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

  1. Start the sauce. Cook the onion in the oil over medium heat 5 minutes, add the garlic, ají amarillo, ají panca and cumin and cook 3 minutes, stirring, until it smells toasty. Add the tomato for 3 minutes.
  2. Simmer the base. Pour in the wine and let it bubble 1 minute, then the stock. Simmer 8 minutes.
  3. Fry the fish. Meanwhile season the fillets, dust with flour and fry in the oil over medium-high heat 3–4 minutes per side until golden. Keep warm on a platter.
  4. Add the seafood. Add the mussels to the sauce, cover and cook 2 minutes, then the shrimp and squid for 2 minutes more, just until the mussels open and the shrimp turn pink.
  5. Finish and serve. Stir in the evaporated milk (and the cornstarch if you want it thicker), simmer 1 minute and season. Spoon the sauce and seafood over the fish and sprinkle with parsley.

On the side

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

Panama

Fried Cassava Sticks

Yuca Frita

Cassava boiled tender, then fried into thick, fluffy fries with a crisp crust. Along Panama’s Pacific coast they come piled next to fried whole fish and a wedge of lime.

  • Prep 10 min
  • Cook 35 min
  • Serves 4
  • Level Easy

You need

  • 2 lb (900 g) fresh or frozen cassava (yuca)
  • 1 tbsp salt, for the water
  • Vegetable oil for frying
  • Salt to finish
  • 1 lime, in wedges

How to make it

  1. Peel. Cut the cassava into 3-inch (8 cm) pieces, slit the thick skin and peel it off. Cut each piece in half lengthwise.
  2. Boil. Boil in salted water for 15–20 minutes until fork-tender but not falling apart. Drain, pull out the woody center cord and cut into thick sticks.
  3. Dry. Spread the sticks on a towel and let them steam dry for 10 minutes so they fry crisp.
  4. Fry. Fry in oil at 360 °F (180 °C) for 5–7 minutes until golden and crunchy. Drain, salt right away and serve with lime.

Photo: Horacio Cambeiro · CC BY-SA 3.0

More ways to cook Mahi-Mahi

Same fish, a different corner of the sea.

Salvador, Bahia, BrazilBahian Fish Stew with Coconut and Palm Oil
CubaPan-Seared Dorado with Cuban Mojo
Oistins, BarbadosBajan-Seasoned Grilled Dolphin
San Diego, CaliforniaSan Diego Beer-Battered Mahi Fish Tacos