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Rondón
Coconut fish and conch stew
Rondón: San Andrés' coconut-milk rundown with fish, conch, pork tail, cassava, plantain and dumplings
ColombianThe English-speaking Raizal islanders of San Andrés and Providencia call it rundown, and it is cooked for a crowd on weekends and at beach gatherings: coconut milk boiled down until it 'runs down' and starts to release its oil, with cassava, green plantain, breadfruit or sweet potato, flour dumplings, salted pig tail and, on top, fish and conch steamed in the creamy broth. Pork appears as the salted tail, which seasons the pot. The broth is rich, coconut-sweet and herby with thyme, with a perfume of whole Scotch bonnet that gives aroma rather than fire as long as it doesn't burst. Start the day before: the pig tail needs overnight soaking. A common mistake is stirring once the fish goes in, which breaks it up; layer it and let the steam do the work. Chef's tip: queen conch is protected in much of the Caribbean, so buy only legally sourced frozen conch, or swap in large raw prawns added with the fish.
- Total time
- 130 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the base
- 14 oz salted pig tailcut into pieces, soaked overnight in the fridge
- 5 cups coconut milkfrom 3 tins
- 1 onionsliced
- 4 garlic clovescrushed
- 1 Scotch bonnet chillileft whole
- 1 ⅛ lb cassava (yuca)peeled, cut into chunks, woody core removed
- 2 green plantainspeeled, cut into 5 cm pieces
- 10 ½ oz sweet potatopeeled, cut into chunks
For the dumplings
- 7 oz plain flour
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ cup cold water
For the seafood
- 1 ¾ lb firm white fish steakssnapper, grouper or kingfish
- 10 ½ oz cleaned conch meatfrozen, legally sourced; or large raw prawns
- 2 tbsp lime juice
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
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Method
0/8 doneStep 1: Drain 14 oz salted pig tail, cover with fresh water and boil over a medium heat for 45 minutes, until tender and well past 160°F. Taste the water: if very salty, drain.
45 minStep 2: Season 1 ¾ lb firm white fish steaks with 2 tbsp lime juice, 1 tsp salt and ½ tsp ground black pepper and keep in the fridge. Pound 10 ½ oz cleaned conch meat with a meat mallet between sheets of cling film until it is half its thickness, then cut into strips.
10 minStep 3: Bring 5 cups coconut milk to the boil in a wide, heavy pot over a medium heat and boil steadily for 15 minutes, stirring now and then, until it has reduced a little and specks of oil appear on top.
15 minStep 4: Add 1 onion, 4 garlic cloves, 5 fresh thyme sprigs, 1 Scotch bonnet chilli, the drained pig tail and the conch. Simmer for 15 minutes, until the conch starts to turn tender.
15 minStep 5: Meanwhile, mix 7 oz plain flour and ½ tsp salt with ½ cup cold water into a firm dough. Knead for 2 minutes, then roll into 12 small, slightly flattened dumplings.
8 minStep 6: Add 1 ⅛ lb cassava (yuca), 2 green plantains and 10 ½ oz sweet potato to the pot, push them under the liquid and lay the dumplings on top. Cover and simmer gently for 20 minutes, until the cassava is nearly tender.
20 minStep 7: Lay the fish steaks on top, cover tightly and cook over a low heat for 10–12 minutes without stirring, until the fish is opaque and flakes at the bone and the dumplings are firm. If using prawns, tuck them in now; they are done when pink all through.
12 minStep 8: Lift out the thyme and the whole chilli without bursting it. Serve in deep bowls, a piece of everything in each, with plenty of coconut broth.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 780 kcal
- Protein
- 42 g
- Carbs
- 66 g
- Fat
- 38 g
- Fibre
- 7 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does rondón take?
- About 130 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 100 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 coconut milk?
- Single cream, same amount (not dairy free).
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
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