Preparing Piranha: Four Delicious Recipes for Adventuresome Eating
Whip up your native style of freshly caught Piranha, with these Brazilian recipes. Cachama, a breeding species related to Piranha, is often used where Piranha are not locally available. Cachama (in Colombia) and Tambaqui or Pacu (in Brazil) which also originate from the Amazon and Orinoco river basins can also be used. Two species of Cachama cultivated commercially in Central and South America are the white (Piaractus brachypomus) and the black (Colossoma macropomum). If one of these is not available where you live, firm white-fleshed fish or fillets will suffice. Here are four delicious ways to prepare your Piranha:
Piranha in tomato sauce
Ingredients:
Piranha, whole, cleaned and scaled
4 firm, ripe tomatoes
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
half a cup of water
2 tablespoons of margarine
salt and pepper to taste
Instructions:
Peel and cut the tomato into small cubes. Put half of the tomatoes and onion in a large skillet, place the cleaned Piranha on top and cover with the rest of the tomato, onion and parsley. Add salt and pepper.
Add half the water and cook, covered, over low heat for about 20 minutes or until the fish can be easily pierced with a fork.
Carefully remove the piranha from the pan and place it on a warm serving platter.
Reduce the mixture in the pan for an additional 5 minutes until thickened and pour over the Piranha.
Brazilian piranha soup
Ingredients:
Piranha, whole fish (or heads)
seasonal green vegetables or to taste
carrots, peeled and sliced or diced
yams, peeled and cut
onions, whole, small or cut into quarters
salt and pepper to taste
1 or 2 small peppers to spice things up a bit
small ginger root, roughly chopped
1 or 2 lemons or limes, sliced or quartered
Instructions:
Boil the whole fish in a vegetable broth with spices and pieces of ginger. Add fresh cut vegetables. Remove the bones and large fins from the fish. Slice lemon or lime for garnish. Remember that the head is an aphrodisiac and is often served separately. The soup can also be made entirely from piranha heads if desired.
Fried piranha
Ingredients:
One medium-sized whole piranha for each serving
2 or 3 cloves of garlic
salt and pepper
sprig of fresh parsley
whole lemon or lime
1 or 2 whole ripe tomatoes, sliced
small amount of seasoned flour or cornmeal
Instructions:
Clean and carefully scale the fish. Make a series of diagonal cuts along both sides of the fish from top to belly. Crush the garlic cloves and mix them with the salt and a little pepper. Rub this mixture into the cuts along the sides of the fish. Wrap with a damp banana leaf (or damp paper towel). Marinate for 30 minutes to an hour. Some Colombian cooks leave it refrigerated overnight. Heat fresh cooking oil on high in a large skillet. Sprinkle the marinated fish lightly with seasoned flour or cornmeal. Fry a golden color on each side, carefully turning the fish after browning. Serve hot garnished with tomato slices and fresh lemon or lime juice squeezed over the fish.
Grill Piranha Amazone
Grilling freshly caught fish over an open fire is always a tasty way to enjoy a fresh catch. Use a whole cleaned and scaled fish, rub it lightly with oil, season it with salt and pepper or other available spices, then place on a grill, about 4-6 inches from the heat. . In the wild, you can use a frame of small twigs and shaved saplings to position the fish above the fire. Cover the fish with a banana leaf (or foil) and cook until the fish is golden on the underside, about 6 to 8 minutes. Gently flip the fish and continue until the meat is close to the bone (check with the tip of a small knife or long fork), about 8 to 10 minutes. Small fish generally work best with this method, especially in the jungle.
Modifying these procedures slightly will allow you to adapt them for use with a barbecue. If you haven't already, be sure to read the article "Piranha: Deadly and Delicious" which is online at: http://EzineArticles.com/?id=72722 . Buen Provecho!