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Caldo de piranha
Piranha broth
Caldo de piranha: the Pantanal's blended piranha broth with tomato, peppers and herbs
In Cuiabá and Corumbá, on the edge of the Pantanal wetlands of Mato Grosso, caldo de piranha is served in small cups in bars and at riverside festivals, and is said to restore strength (some say more). The bony little fish are simmered with tomato, onion, peppers and annatto, then the flesh is blended into the broth and strained, so it is thick, smooth and savoury. If you can't get piranha, any firm white river or lake fish such as tilapia or catfish works. A bowl gives about 24 g of protein, from the fish, for about 200 kcal. The common mistake is careless straining: piranha has many fine bones, so pass the soup through a fine sieve twice. Chef's tip: finish with a good handful of cheiro-verde, the Brazilian mix of parsley and chives, and a squeeze of lime just before serving.
- Total time
- 60 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 2 ⅝ lb piranhawhole, cleaned and scaled; or tilapia or catfish
- 1 limejuiced
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onionchopped
- 4 cloves garliccrushed
- 1 green pepperchopped
- 3 ripe tomatoeschopped
- 1 tsp ground annatto (colorau)or sweet paprika
- 1.5 litre water
- 1 ¼ tsp salt
- 1 pimenta-de-cheiro or other mild chilli (optional)chopped
- ½ oz parsleychopped
- ⅓ oz chiveschopped
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Method
0/7 doneStep 2: Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large pot over a medium heat. Cook 1 onion, 4 cloves garlic and 1 green pepper until soft.
6 minStep 3: Add 3 ripe tomatoes and 1 tsp ground annatto (colorau) and cook until the tomatoes break down.
5 minStep 4: Add the fish, 1.5 litre water and the rest of 0.9 tsp salt and simmer gently until the flesh falls off the bones.
20 minStep 5: Blend everything briefly with a stick blender, just enough to break up the flesh, then pass it through a fine sieve, pressing hard. Strain it a second time to catch any fine bones.
Step 6: Return to the pan, add 1 pimenta-de-cheiro or other mild chilli and simmer until it is as thick as single cream.
5 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 200 kcal
- Protein
- 24 g
- Carbs
- 8 g
- Fat
- 8 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does caldo de piranha take?
- About 60 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 40 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of lime?
- Lemon, same amount.
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
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