Ecuadorian FoodAmazonian Sea Bass in Chontaduro Herb Sauce with Yuca Cakes and Pickled Cucumber
An original Ecuadorian recipe that brings together coastal and Amazonian ingredients: seared sea bass finished in the oven, covered in a silky chontaduro, cilantro, and lemon verbena sauce, served with golden yuca cakes with fresh cheese and a lime-pickled cucumber and red onion salad.
Ingredients
- 4 filetes (aprox. 680 g / 24 oz en total) 680 g sea bass fillets (6 oz cada uno)
- 8 g 8 g salt (divided entre pescado, sauce, tortitas and encurtido)
- 2 g 2 g black pepper (freshly ground)
- 4 g 4 g ground annatto (for sazonar the pescado)
- 45 ml 45 ml vegetable oil (divided)
- 180 g 180 g cooked and peeled peach palm fruit (without semilla)
- 120 g 120 g white onion (chopped fina, divided)
- 9 g 9 g garlic (chopped)
- 20 g 20 g culantro or cilantro (chopped)
- 5 g 5 g lemon verbena (leaves chopped finely)
- 180 ml 180 ml milk (whole or semidescremada)
- 120 ml 120 ml fish stock or water (for aligerar the sauce)
- 45 ml 45 ml lime juice (divided)
- 500 g 500 g cooked yuca (well escurrida)
- 100 g 100 g crumbled fresh cheese (for the tortitas)
- 1 unidad 1 unit egg (beaten)
- 16 g 16 g cornstarch (for dar estructura a the tortitas)
- 200 g 200 g cucumber (en medias lunas finas)
- 80 g 80 g red onion (en pluma fina)
- 30 ml 30 ml apple cider vinegar (for the encurtido)
- 4 g 4 g sugar (for equilibrar the encurtido)
Nutrition facts
per serving
Approximate nutritional information. Estimated from the recipe’s ingredients and amounts, using standard reference nutrition values. It may vary with brands, sizes and cooking method. For guidance only; not a substitute for medical or dietary advice.
Allergens
Instructions
- 1
1. Preheat the oven to 200 °C / 400 °F. Pat the sea bass fillets dry with paper towels and season them with 3 g salt, black pepper, and ground annatto. Let them rest for 10 minutes while you prepare the sides.
- 2
2. For the pickle, combine the cucumber, red onion, 15 ml (1 tbsp) lime juice, apple cider vinegar, sugar, and 1 g salt in a bowl. Toss gently with your hands or a spoon, then set aside so the flavors can develop while you cook the rest.
- 3
3. Place the cooked yuca in a wide bowl and mash it while still warm until you have a rustic dough with no large chunks. Add the crumbled fresh cheese, beaten egg, cornstarch, 2 g salt, and 1 tablespoon chopped culantro. Mix well and shape into 8 medium cakes.
- 4
4. Heat 15 ml (1 tbsp) vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Brown the yuca cakes for 3 to 4 minutes per side until firm and golden. Transfer them to a tray and keep warm in the turned-off oven or at a low temperature of 95 °C / 200 °F.
- 5
5. In a small saucepan, heat 15 ml (1 tbsp) vegetable oil over medium heat. Sauté half of the white onion and the garlic for 2 to 3 minutes until translucent. Add the cooked peach palm fruit, milk, fish stock or water, and lemon verbena. Simmer gently for 5 minutes.
- 6
6. Blend the chontaduro mixture with the remaining culantro, 15 ml (1 tbsp) lime juice, and 1 g salt until smooth. Return the sauce to the saucepan and cook over low heat for 2 to 3 more minutes, stirring, until silky and lightly thickened. Adjust salt if needed.
- 7
7. Heat the remaining 15 ml (1 tbsp) vegetable oil in an oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Add the remaining white onion and cook for 1 minute. Place the sea bass fillets on top and sear for 2 minutes on the first side.
- 8
8. Carefully flip the fillets, cook 1 minute more, and transfer the skillet to the preheated oven. Bake for 6 to 8 minutes at 200 °C / 400 °F, until the sea bass is just cooked through and flakes easily.
- 9
9. To serve, place two yuca cakes on each plate. Set one sea bass fillet on top or alongside, spoon over the hot chontaduro sauce, and finish with a portion of the pickled cucumber. Serve immediately.
Chef tips
If the chontaduro is very dry, add a little more stock while blending. For a finer sauce, strain it. Do not overcook the sea bass so it stays juicy.
Substitutions
You can replace sea bass with another firm white fish, such as snook. If you cannot find lemon verbena, use a little lime zest and extra cilantro. The fresh cheese in the yuca cakes can be swapped for low-moisture mozzarella or a mild farmer-style cheese.
What I used to make it
Generic kitchen tools that work for this recipe. You don’t need to buy anything to make it.
Illustrative imageNinja Professional BL610 Blender
Smoothies, sauces and soups
- Smoothies, sauces and soups
- Easy-to-wash jar
- Check the power and jar size
Illustrative imageCosori Pro LE 5 Qt Air Fryer
Browning and baking with little oil
- Browns food with very little oil
- Handy for vegetables, chicken and reheating
- Check the basket capacity
Illustrative imageTempPro TP19H Digital Thermometer
Checking doneness of meat and chicken
- Checks doneness of meat and chicken
- Quick reading
- Clean the probe after each use
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