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Maito de tilapia
Maito de tilapia: Amazon fish grilled in leaf parcels with boiled cassava
Maito is how Kichwa and Shuar cooks along the rivers around Puyo and Tena prepare fish: seasoned simply with salt, garlic and palm heart, wrapped in big bijao leaves and laid over glowing coals until the parcel blackens and the fish steams in its own juices. Banana leaves, sold frozen in Asian and Latin shops, work just as well at home. It comes to the table in its leaves with boiled sweet cassava, a fiery ají and a cup of guayusa. The common mistake is wrapping the fish in stiff leaves, which split and let the juices escape; soften them over a flame first. Chef's tip: open one parcel to check: the fish is ready when the flesh is opaque and lifts cleanly off the bone.
- Total time
- 45 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 2 whole tilapiaabout 500 g each, cleaned and scaled; or 4 fillets
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- 3 cloves garliccrushed
- 1 limejuiced
- 7 oz palm heartssliced (tinned, drained)
- 3 spring onionssliced
- 4 banana leaveslarge pieces, about 40 cm
- 1 ¾ lb sweet cassava (yuca)peeled and cut into chunks
- 2 tbsp fresh chilli sauce (ají) (optional)to serve
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What you'll need
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Score 2 whole tilapia twice on each side. Rub inside and out with 1 ½ tsp salt, 3 cloves garlic and 1 lime and leave in the fridge for 15 minutes while you prepare the leaves.
15 minStep 2: Pass 4 banana leaves briefly over a gas flame or a hot pan until they turn glossy and supple. Wipe clean.
Step 3: Lay each fish on two layers of leaf, stuff and top with 7 oz palm hearts and 3 spring onions, then fold the leaves into a tight parcel and tie with string or a strip of leaf.
Step 4: Boil 1 ¾ lb sweet cassava (yuca) in salted water for 20–25 minutes until tender, then drain.
25 minStep 5: Cook the parcels over medium coals or on a ridged grill pan over a medium heat for 12–15 minutes per side (or 25–30 minutes in a 400°F oven), until the leaves are charred and the fish is opaque and flakes from the bone at the thickest part.
30 minStep 6: Serve in the opened leaves with the cassava and 2 tbsp fresh chilli sauce (ají).
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 380 kcal
- Protein
- 34 g
- Carbs
- 48 g
- Fat
- 5 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
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Good to know
- How long does maito de tilapia take?
- About 45 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 30 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 garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
- What can I use instead of lime?
- Lemon, same amount.
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