Ecuadorian FoodEcuadorian corvina with warm goldenberry-cilantro sauce, rustic mashed cassava, and pickled onion
An original main dish inspired by Ecuadorian cuisine: seared corvina fillets finished in the oven, topped with a bright goldenberry, cilantro, garlic, and achiote sauce, served with rustic buttered cassava mash and lime-pickled red onion. It balances acidity, freshness, and homestyle coastal flavor in an elegant yet approachable preparation.
Ingredients
- 4 filetes, 680 g 680 g corvina fillets (6 oz cada uno)
- 8 g 8 g salt (divided)
- 2 g 2 g black pepper (freshly ground)
- 4 g 4 g ground annatto (divided)
- 45 ml 45 ml vegetable oil (divided)
- 900 g 900 g peeled cassava (cut en trozos medium)
- 45 g 45 g butter (for the majado)
- 120 ml 120 ml milk (tibia)
- 12 g 12 g garlic (finely chopped, divided)
- 180 g 180 g red onion (en pluma fina)
- 80 ml 80 ml lime juice (freshly squeezed, divided)
- 60 ml 60 ml hot water (for suavizar the onion)
- 8 g 8 g sugar (for the encurtido)
- 220 g 220 g goldenberries (without peel, partidas a the mitad)
- 20 g 20 g culantro or cilantro (chopped fino)
- 1 g 1 g ground cumin (for the sauce)
- 180 ml 180 ml fish stock or water (for the sauce)
- 15 ml 15 ml honey (for balancear the acidez of the uvilla)
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.
- 2
2. Place the red onion in a bowl. Add the hot water, 40 ml (about 2 1/2 tbsp) of the lime juice, the sugar, and 2 g salt. Mix well and let it pickle while you prepare the rest.
- 3
3. Put the cassava in a pot with enough water to cover it and add 3 g salt. Cook over medium heat until very tender, 25 to 30 minutes. Drain, remove any fibrous cores, and keep warm.
- 4
4. Season the corvina fillets with 3 g salt, black pepper, and 2 g ground annatto, gently rubbing both sides.
- 5
5. Heat 15 ml (1 tbsp) vegetable oil in a large oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Sear the corvina for 1 to 2 minutes per side, just until lightly golden. Transfer the skillet to the oven and finish cooking for 6 to 8 minutes at 200 °C / 400 °F, until the fish is cooked through and juicy. Remove and keep warm.
- 6
6. While the fish cooks, make the mash. Mash the hot cassava with the butter, milk, 4 g minced garlic, and 1 g ground annatto. Adjust with 2 g salt and mix until rustic but smooth. Keep warm over very low heat or covered.
- 7
7. For the sauce, heat the remaining 30 ml (2 tbsp) vegetable oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Sauté the remaining garlic for 30 seconds. Add the goldenberries, ground cumin, and the remaining 1 g annatto. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring gently.
- 8
8. Add the fish stock or water, honey, and the remaining 40 ml (about 2 1/2 tbsp) lime juice. Cook the sauce for 5 to 7 minutes over medium heat, until the goldenberries soften slightly but still hold their shape and the liquid thickens lightly.
- 9
9. Turn off the heat and add the chopped culantro or cilantro to the sauce. Taste and adjust salt if needed.
- 10
10. Serve a portion of rustic cassava mash on each plate, place a corvina fillet on top or alongside, spoon over the warm goldenberry sauce, and finish with the drained pickled onion.
Chef tips
If the goldenberries are very tart, add 1 extra teaspoon of honey. For the best mash texture, mash the cassava right after draining while it is still very hot.
Substitutions
You can replace corvina with grouper, sea bass, or firm tilapia. If goldenberries are unavailable, use a mild tamarillo mixture with a little passion fruit, though the flavor profile will change. Culantro can be replaced with cilantro.
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 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
Illustrative imageT-fal Ultimate Hard Anodized 12" Non-Stick Pan
Eggs, omelets and stir-fries
- Eggs and omelets that don’t stick
- Comfortable, sturdy handle
- Use wooden or silicone utensils
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