Surubí a la Parrilla

Surubí is a large spotted catfish of the Paraná River, and grilling it over coals is the icon of Corrientes province's river cuisine. The fish can weigh over 20 kilos, its firm white flesh ideal for the grill. Fishermen on the Paraná catch them at dawn, and the riverside restaurants of Corrientes and Resistencia serve them split open, rubbed with oil, garlic and herbs, and grilled over moderate coals until the skin chars and the flesh flakes. Served with lemon, it is the taste of the Litoral's river culture, as central to the northeast as asado is to the Pampas.

Thick, firm, clean-tasting white fish with charred skin, the flesh flaking in large moist pieces, garlic and herbs beneath, lemon cutting the richness. Eaten by the river with a glass of cold white wine.

The technique is the parrilla grill applied to river fish. The surubí is split down the middle, bones left in for flavour, rubbed with oil, minced garlic, oregano and salt. It is grilled skin-down over moderate coals for 15 to 20 minutes, then turned for 5 minutes on the flesh side, the moderate heat cooking the thick flesh through without drying. The skin chars and protects the flesh beneath, and the garlic-herb rub perfumes the meat. Lemon is the only sauce. The fish must be fresh, never frozen, and the grill must be clean and oiled so the skin does not stick and tear.