Recipe: Sudado de pescado (Peruvian steamed fish)
Sudado de pescado can be considered a soup or a stew. I guess it depends on how you serve it: with boiled cassava or with boiled cassava and rice. The verb sudar means “to sweat”… in this context, it means the fish is steamed on top of a bed of onions and tomatoes with a delicious broth.
One of the broth ingredients is chicha de jora, a fermented beverage made from malted maize (corn), commonly used in Peruvian cuisine. It is also served as a drink in many towns in the highlands to children and adults, despite its alcoholic content. Back in the day, the fermentation was kickstarted by chewing the corn kernels and spitting them in a bucket. Thankfully, these days it’s made through a more modern and hygienic process. Taste-wise, it’s similar to apple cider vinegar and plain kombucha. You can buy it from Latin food shops such as Tienda Latina in Ashfield.
Sudado de pescado was one of dad’s favourite dishes. I didn’t appreciate it until mum started making it with scallops. The addition of seafood elevates the dish to another level. I asked her for the recipe and she wrote down a paragraph with instructions but no quantities (for a change!). I think I got my version pretty close; dad would have approved.
As you can see below, sudado de pescado is a very simple and healthy dish to make, provided you have the ingredients at hand. I have indicated substitutions and ingredients that can be omitted.
Sudado de pescado
Ingredients
- 3 white fish fillets
- scallops optional
- 1 tbsp oil
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 red onion in thick slices
- 2 tomatoes in thick slices
- 1 tbsp ají panca paste or other red chilli paste, preferably smoked
- 1 tbsp ají amarillo paste or other yellow chilli paste
- 3/4 cup chicha de jora or plain kombucha or a combination of apple cider vinegar and white wine
- 1/4 cup fish stock
- 30 ml pisco (optional) 2 tbsp
- salt and pepper to taste
To serve
- 500 g frozen cassava to serve
- rice or cauliflower rice to serve (optional)
- fresh chilli to serve
- coriander leaves to serve
Instructions
- Boil cassava until tender (25-30 minutes).
- While the cassava is cooking, heat oil in a large saucepan at medium heat. Add garlic, onion, tomatoes, ají panca and ají amarillo. Cook for 5 minutes.
- Add chicha de jora, stock and pisco (if using) to the saucepan. Place fish on top of vegetables and scallops on top of fish. Season with salt and pepper. Turn down heat to low, cover and cook for 10 minutes.
- Drain cassava.
- Serve sudado with boiled cassava and rice/cauliflower rice (if desired). Garnish with fresh chilli and coriander.
Want more Peruvian recipes? Check out the e-cookbook below!
Peruvian recipes from abroad
This e-book contains my favourite Peruvian recipes developed from the point of view of an expat who learned to find her way with the ingredients that were available in her new home.
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