Ecuadorian Seafood Cazuela Recipe
Fish and Plantain Casserole from the Coastal Provinces of Ecuador
This layered seafood dish, featuring a crunchy and hearty plantain base filled with fish or shrimp, is a healthy alternative to traditional meat and potato casseroles.
Cazuela, a seafood dish found along the coastal province of Ecuador, merges many of the flavors available throughout the Pacific Coast of Ecuador: peanuts, coconut, plantains (cooking bananas) and seafood. Each region specializes in its own version of the dish, from soupy peanut-based cazuela soup to a drier, baked plantain casserole.
This cazuela recipe hails from the central western coastal provinces of Manabí, Guayas and El Oro and uses only two main ingredients: plantains and fish (or shrimp). Chock full of potassium and vitamins A and C, this seafood dish bakes into a hearty, energy-rich meal. The high amount of fiber found in the plantain makes it a healthy alternative to a potato-based casserole.
Ingredients
- 6 plantains, washed and peeled
- 2 8 oz. cans of tomato paste
- 2 cups ketchup
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp salt, or to taste
- 2 lbs. fish (see note below)
- cooking oil
- butter or margarine
Directions
- Cook three of the plantains in a pressure cooker for about 15 minutes. When tender and easily pierced with a fork, run them through a food processor or meat grinder. Run the other three raw plantains through the meat grinder, also. Mix the two plantain mixtures. (Skipping this step will result in the mixture base not sticking together, and the cazuela will not hold its shape.)
- Mix the tomato paste, ketchup, salt and cumin in a medium saucepan and cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Remove the sauce to a Dutch oven, leaving about ¾ cup in the saucepan. Add the fish to the pan and simmer it in the sauce for about 5-15 minutes. The fish does not have to cook all the way through, but a thicker cut will need more time to simmer than a thin cut.
- In the Dutch oven, add the plantain mixture and cook it, stirring often, until most of the liquid is absorbed and the mixture takes on a reddish appearance. Let cool until just able to handle.
- To assemble the cazuela, drizzle some cooking oil in the bottom of a 9 ½ x 2 in. pan, coating the sides as well. With wet or oiled hands (to minimize sticking), press a layer of the plantain mixture on the bottom of the pan, working in small sections. Add a layer of fish and repeat with a layer of plantain. Place a few pats of butter or margarine on top of the casserole and bake at 350° F for about 20 minutes, or until the top is brown and bubbly.
What Fish to Use
This recipe can be made with any firm fresh water or salt water fish, such as tilapia or blue marlin. Very delicate types of fish will break too easily and be difficult to manage. White flesh fish is best in regards to flavor.
Shrimp Variation
To make a shrimp version, cook about 2 lbs of shrimp in the sauce (a little at a time) instead of the fish, until the shrimp is no longer translucent and has turned pink.
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