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Pirarucu de casaca
Layered dried fish, farofa and plantain
Pirarucu de casaca: layers of shredded dried pirarucu, farofa, fried plantain and raisins
BrazilianA party dish from Manaus and the Amazonas interior, pirarucu de casaca (pirarucu in a coat) is built in a big dish for birthdays and Christmas: a bed of buttery-looking farofa, a layer of shredded salt pirarucu cooked with tomato and coconut milk, golden slices of fried plantain, more farofa, and a scattering of raisins, olives, egg and herbs. Each spoonful is salty, sweet and crunchy at once. Pirarucu, the giant Amazon fish, is sold salted and dried like cod; salt cod is the easy substitute. Allow 24 hours to soak the fish in the fridge. A common slip-up is under-soaking, which makes the dish too salty to eat; taste a flake before you cook. Chef's tip: use very ripe, black-skinned plantain, fried slowly, so it caramelises and balances the salt of the fish.
- Total time
- 85 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the fish
- 1 ⅓ lb salted dried pirarucuor salt cod; soaked 24 h in the fridge, water changed 4 times
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onionchopped
- 3 cloves garliccrushed
- 2 tomatoeschopped
- 1 green pepperchopped
- ¾ cup coconut milk
- 3 tbsp fresh corianderchopped
For the farofa
- 5 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 onionfinely chopped
- 10 ½ oz farinha de mandiocatoasted cassava flour
- ½ tsp salt
For the layers
- 2 very ripe plantainspeeled, sliced lengthways
- 4 tbsp vegetable oilfor frying the plantain
- 1 ¾ oz raisins
- 2 ⅛ oz green olivespitted and sliced
- 3 eggsboiled for 9 minutes, sliced
- 3 spring onions (optional)sliced
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Method
0/8 doneStep 1: Drain 1 ⅓ lb salted dried pirarucu, cover with fresh water in a pan, bring to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes until it flakes. Drain, cool, then shred finely, removing skin and bones.
15 minStep 2: Heat 4 tbsp olive oil in a frying pan over a medium heat and soften 1 onion, 3 cloves garlic, 2 tomatoes and 1 green pepper for 8 minutes.
8 minStep 3: Add the fish and ¾ cup coconut milk and cook for 5 minutes, stirring, until moist but not wet. Stir in 3 tbsp fresh coriander.
5 minStep 4: For the farofa, heat 5 tbsp vegetable oil in a wide pan over a medium heat, fry 1 onion for 4 minutes, then add 10 ½ oz farinha de mandioca and ½ tsp salt and toast for 5 minutes, stirring, until golden and sandy.
9 minStep 5: Fry 2 very ripe plantains in 4 tbsp vegetable oil on a medium-low heat for 3–4 minutes a side until deep golden and soft.
8 minStep 6: Heat the oven to 350°F (325°F fan). In a 30 x 20 cm dish, spread half the farofa, then the fish, then the plantain, then the rest of the farofa.
Step 7: Scatter over 1 ¾ oz raisins, 2 ⅛ oz green olives and 3 eggs and bake for 15 minutes until hot right through.
15 minStep 8: Finish with 3 spring onions and serve warm with white rice and a green salad.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 560 kcal
- Protein
- 32 g
- Carbs
- 58 g
- Fat
- 22 g
- Fibre
- 5 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does pirarucu de casaca take?
- About 85 minutes in total: 40 minutes to prepare and 45 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
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