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Venezuela · Grunts

Venezuelan Fish Sancocho

Sancocho de Pescado Margariteño

On Margarita Island, a Sunday at the beach means a big pot of fish sancocho bubbling over a wood fire: yuca, squash, plantain and corn in a broth sweet with ají dulce and fresh-caught fish.

  • Prep 30 min
  • Cook 50 min
  • Serves 6–8
  • Level Medium
Photo: Agencia de Noticias ANDES · CC BY-SA 2.0
Served with: Venezuelan Corn Arepas ↓En Español

Ingredients

Tap each item as you gather it.

For the soup

For the seasoning

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Method

Step by step, the traditional way.

  1. Season the fish. Rub the fish with lime juice and 1 tsp salt and keep it in the fridge while you prepare everything else.
  2. Cook the hard vegetables. Bring the water and the rest of the salt to a boil in a big pot. Add the yuca, plantain and ocumo and simmer 15 minutes.
  3. Make the guiso. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a skillet and cook the onion, bell pepper, ají dulce, garlic and green onions 6–8 minutes until soft. Stir in the cumin and scrape it all into the pot.
  4. Add squash and corn. Add the auyama and corn and simmer 10–15 minutes more, until the yuca is tender and the squash starts to melt into the broth.
  5. Add the fish. Slip in the fish and simmer gently 10 minutes, without stirring hard, until it is just cooked through. Stir in half the cilantro and taste for salt.
  6. Serve. Ladle into deep bowls, with a piece of fish and some of each vegetable in every bowl. Top with the rest of the cilantro and serve with arepas and lime.

On the side

The side dish that belongs with it, full recipe included.

Venezuela

Venezuelan Corn Arepas

Arepas

Thick corn cakes griddled crisp outside and steamy inside. On Margarita Island they are split and served alongside fried fish, with butter and grated white cheese.

  • Prep 10 min
  • Cook 25 min
  • Serves 4 (8 arepas)
  • Level Easy

You need

  • 2 cups pre-cooked white cornmeal (masarepa, such as P.A.N.)
  • 2½ cups warm water
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil
  • Butter and grated white cheese to serve

How to make it

  1. Make the dough. Mix the water and salt in a bowl and add the masarepa little by little, mixing with your hand, until smooth and soft. Rest 5 minutes.
  2. Shape. Divide into 8 balls and flatten each into a disk about ½ inch (1.5 cm) thick and 3½ inches (9 cm) wide. Smooth any cracked edges with wet fingers.
  3. Griddle. Heat a lightly oiled griddle or cast-iron pan over medium heat. Cook the arepas 6–8 minutes per side until a golden crust forms.
  4. Finish. For a fluffier center, bake them 10 minutes at 350 °F (175 °C). They are ready when they sound hollow when tapped. Split and serve with butter and cheese.

Photo: Periodismodepaz · CC BY-SA 4.0

More ways to cook Grunts

Same fish, a different corner of the sea.

Abaco, BahamasGrits and Grunts
Málaga, SpainMálaga-Style Fried Fish Platter
Naguabo, Puerto RicoPuerto Rican Fish Asopao