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Surubí a la parrilla
Surubí a la parrilla: thick steaks of Paraná river catfish grilled over coals with lemon, garlic and parsley
The surubí, a big spotted catfish of the Paraná, has firm, almost meaty white flesh with no fine bones, which is why riverside parrillas in Corrientes, Goya and Esquina cut it into thick steaks and throw it on the grill like beef. A short soak in lemon, garlic and oil, plenty of salt, and live coals are all it asks. Serve with boiled cassava or potatoes, salsa criolla and a cold lemonade. Outside Argentina, buy thick steaks of another firm catfish, or of monkfish or swordfish. The usual mistake is trying to flip the fish too soon: it tears and sticks until a crust has formed and it lets go of the grate by itself. Chef's tip: oil the fish rather than the grill, and rub the hot bars with half a lemon just before the steaks go on.
- Total time
- 37 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Whisk the juice of one of the 1 lemons with 3 cloves garlic, 3 tbsp olive oil, 1 tsp dried oregano and half of 1 ½ tbsp flat-leaf parsley in a shallow dish.
Step 2: Turn 4 surubí steaks in the marinade, cover and chill in the fridge for 15 minutes, no longer, or the lemon starts to firm the outside.
15 minStep 3: Meanwhile prepare a grill with a medium-hot bed of coals: you should be able to hold your hand 10 cm above the grate for only 3–4 seconds.
Step 4: Lift the fish out, pat it lightly, brush with the rest of 1 tbsp olive oil and season with 1 ½ tsp coarse salt and ½ tsp black pepper. Rub the hot grate with the cut side of the remaining 1 lemons.
Step 5: Grill the steaks without moving them until they release easily and show dark grill marks.
5 minStep 6: Turn them once and grill the second side until the flesh is opaque right through to the bone and flakes when pressed.
5 minStep 7: Spoon the leftover marinade into a small pan, boil it hard for 1 minute, then pour it over the fish with the rest of the 1 ½ tbsp flat-leaf parsley and serve at once.
1 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 330 kcal
- Protein
- 45 g
- Carbs
- 2 g
- Fat
- 16 g
- Fibre
- 0 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does surubí a la parrilla take?
- About 37 minutes in total: 25 minutes to prepare and 12 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 lemons?
- Lime, or 2 tbsp bottled lemon juice per lemon (no zest from bottled juice).
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
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