Cau cau de mariscos is the seafood take on Lima's classic cau cau. Instead of tripe, a mix of shellfish — squid, mussels, shrimp and scallops — is folded into the dish's signature golden sauce of turmeric, ají amarillo and diced potato, finished with a lift of fresh mint. The seafood is added at the end so it stays just-cooked and tender, and the stew is served over white rice, bright yellow and fragrant.
Cau cau is a criollo classic of Afro- and Asian-Peruvian Lima, in which diced potato is stewed in a golden turmeric-and-ají-amarillo sauce brightened with mint. The original is made with tripe (mondongo), the frugal cut that gave the dish its name; over time the same yellow base spawned a family of versions — de pollo with chicken, and de mariscos with seafood. The seafood variant belongs to the coastal kitchen, where Lima's access to Pacific shellfish made it a natural swap, turning a humble offal stew into a richer, quicker dish. It is a variation on a documented criollo template rather than a dish with its own separate origin story.
The sauce is warm and golden, with the gentle glow of ají amarillo and the earthy hum of turmeric. The seafood is the draw: squid rings tender rather than rubbery, shrimp snapping firm, scallops soft, mussels briny. The diced potatoes are soft and have soaked up the yellow sauce, thickening it as they go. A scatter of fresh mint cuts through at the end, lifting the richness with something cool and bright. Spooned over rice it eats comforting yet lively, the sea flavour clear against the mellow chilli.
The golden base is built first: ají amarillo paste and turmeric are fried in oil so their fat-soluble pigments bloom into colour and the chilli's aroma develops, then the diced potato simmers in it and releases starch that thickens the sauce naturally. The seafood is treated as a finish, not a braise — squid, shrimp, scallops and mussels each cook in only a few minutes, and overcooking turns them tough and weeping, so they are added near the end and pulled the moment they are just done. Fresh mint is stirred in off the heat to keep its volatile oils, supplying the bright top note against the rich yellow sauce.
Variations
The dish belongs to the cau cau family alongside the original tripe version and a chicken version. The shellfish mix is flexible — squid and shrimp are the base, with mussels, scallops, clams or chunks of firm fish added as available. Some cooks finish with a little chopped huacatay or parsley in place of, or alongside, the mint. Peas are sometimes added with the potato. It is always served over white rice.
On the Palate
Where Cau Cau de Mariscos sits in the Peruvian flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 4
How it's made
8 steps · 40 min active + 10 min waiting
- 112 min
Clean the seafood: slice squid into rings, peel the shrimp, scrub the mussels and pat the scallops dry.
- 25 min
Peel and dice the potatoes into small cubes.
- 37 min
Heat oil and soften finely chopped red onion, then add ají amarillo paste, turmeric and garlic and fry until golden and fragrant.
Watch outFry the ají amarillo and turmeric in oil until golden and fragrant — the pigment is fat-soluble and only blooms into color and aroma in the oil.
- 415 min
Add the diced potato and a little stock or water, cover, and simmer until the potato is tender and the sauce has thickened.
- 53 min
Stir in the squid and mussels and cook a couple of minutes until the mussels begin to open.
- 64 min
Add the shrimp and scallops and cook just until the shrimp turn pink and the scallops are opaque, a few minutes more.
Watch outAdd the shrimp and scallops last and pull them the moment they're just done — a couple minutes too long and the seafood turns tough and weeps.
- 72 min
Season with salt, then stir in chopped fresh mint off the heat.
Watch outStir the mint in off the heat — keeping it away from the boil preserves its volatile oils for that bright top note.
- 83 min
Serve at once over white rice.
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