The Pacific reworking of the aborrajado: ripe plantain dough wrapped around seasoned fish (often smoked bocachico), battered and deep-fried. The Guapi version is famously salty and called Colombia's best aborrajado.
Aborrajado de pescado is the Pacific-coast reworking of the better-known paisa aborrajado (sweet, filled with cheese). Instead of plantain stuffed with cheese, this version wraps ripe-plantain dough around seasoned fish, often smoked bocachico, and fries it. The Guapi version, deliberately salty and fish-forward, is called the best aborrajado in Colombia by the Cali newspaper El País. The dish belongs to the river-mouth towns of the southern Pacific.
A crisp, deeply golden batter giving way to sweet ripe plantain and smoky, salty fish in the centre, the contrast of sweet dough and savoury smoked fish the whole point. The Guapi version leans salty, the smoke from the bocachico running through every bite.
The plantain dough is made from very ripe plantains mashed with a little flour to bind, and is shaped around a core of seasoned fish (often pre-smoked bocachico, flaked). The parcel is dipped in a flour-and-egg batter and deep-fried, so the plantain caramelises on the inside of the crust while the fish heats through. The sweetness of the plantain is what separates it from the cheese version.
Variations
A Buenaventura version uses fresh pargo instead of smoked fish. Some cooks add a slice of costeño cheese beside the fish.
On the Palate
Where Aborrajado de Pescado sits in the Colombian flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 6
How it's made
6 steps · 35 min
- 16 min
Steam 4 very ripe (black-skinned) plantains in their skins for 15 minutes until completely soft; peel and mash smooth.
Watch outSteam the plantains until completely soft — any firm spots leave lumps that keep the dough from holding a seal.
- 25 min
Work 100g flour and a pinch of salt into the plantain mash until it forms a handleable dough.
- 36 min
Flake 300g smoked bocachico (or any smoked white fish) and mix with 1 chopped spring onion, 1 clove garlic and a pinch of cumin.
- 46 min
Take a handful of plantain dough, flatten, place a spoonful of fish filling in the centre, and fold into a sealed parcel.
Watch outFold each parcel into a fully sealed pocket — an open edge lets the fish leak out into the oil as it fries.
- 57 min
Dip each parcel in a batter of 1 beaten egg and 2 tbsp flour, then deep-fry at 175C for 4-5 minutes until deep gold.
Watch outFry at 175°C to deep gold — the plantain caramelizes inside the crust while the fish heats through.
- 62 min
Drain on paper and serve hot with ají pacífico.
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