A whole river fish (capaz) simmered in one pot with sabanera potato, yuca, green and ripe plantain and corn, in a broth sharpened with panela and lime. The Lenten dish of the Orinoco rivers.
Viudo de capaz, also called viudo de pescado, is the river-fish one-pot of the Colombian Llanos, eaten in Lent along the Meta, Casanare and Arauca rivers. Capaz is a large river fish of the Orinoco basin, prized for its size and flavour. The name viudo (widower) is said to come from the way the fish sits alone at the centre of a pot of tubers. It is a ribereño dish of the eastern plains, where freshwater fish is the Lenten protein.
The broth is cloudy, faintly sweet from the plantain and panela and lifted by lime, the fish delicate and clean, the sabanera potato and yuca soft and starchy beside it. Eaten with a separate bowl of rice, it is a complete meal in a single pot.
The dish is built on layered cooking times in one pot. The firm tubers (sabanera potato, yuca) and the green plantain go in first to set the broth's body; the corn and ripe plantain follow for sweetness; the whole fish is added last so it cooks through gently without breaking apart. The panela and lime are added at the very end, off the heat, so they sharpen but do not cook into the broth.
Variations
Some river cooks use bocachico or bagre instead of capaz. A Casanare version adds chopped cilantro at the end.
On the Palate
Where Viudo de Capaz sits in the Colombian flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 6
How it's made
6 steps · 30 min
- 15 min
Clean 1 whole capaz fish (about 1.5kg), rub with lime juice and salt, and set aside.
- 212 min
In a large pot, bring 2 litres water to the boil with 2 chopped spring onions, 2 cloves garlic and 1 chopped tomato; add 400g peeled sabanera potato and 300g peeled yuca, simmer 20 minutes.
Watch outThe firm tubers and green plantain go in first — they set the broth's body and need the longest cook to lose their raw starch.
- 39 min
Add 2 green plantains in chunks and 2 corn cobs cut in thirds; simmer 15 minutes.
- 412 min
Lower the fish gently into the pot, add 1 ripe plantain in slices, and simmer 18 minutes without stirring, until the fish is opaque at the bone.
Watch outLower the fish in last and don't stir — simmer it just to opaque at the bone, or rough handling breaks it into the broth.
- 54 min
Off the heat, stir in 1 tbsp grated panela and the juice of 2 limes; taste and adjust salt.
Watch outStir in the panela and lime off the heat — cook them into the broth and they lose the sharp lift that cuts the richness.
- 64 min
Serve the fish and broth in deep bowls with white rice on the side.
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