Cachama, the large river fish of the Orinoco, butterflied and grilled over charcoal with garlic, lime and spring onion, served with yuca and ají. The emblematic fish plate of the eastern plains.
Cachama asada is the emblematic fish plate of the Colombian Llanos, where cachama (a large river fish of the Orinoco basin) is grilled over charcoal. Cachama is the signature species of the region's rivers and is now widely farmed. The fish is butterflied, marinated in garlic, lime and spring onion, and grilled whole, then served with yuca and ají llanero. It is the ribereño plate of the eastern plains, the counterpart of the Caribbean's mojarra frita.
Clean, mild white fish with a slight smoke from the charcoal, the garlic-lime marinade running through it, the skin crisped where it met the grill. Eaten with boiled yuca and ají llanero, it is fresh, savoury and simple.
The cachama is butterflied along the back so it lies flat on the grill, which lets it cook evenly and quickly. The marinade of garlic, lime and spring onion is rubbed inside and out, and the acid begins to cook the surface before the heat does. Grilling over medium charcoal, skin side down first, crisps the skin while keeping the flesh moist, with no flipping needed if the fire is gentle enough.
Variations
Some river cooks smoke the cachama for 20 minutes first. A Meta version serves it with a hogao sauce on top.
On the Palate
Where Cachama Asada sits in the Colombian flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 4
How it's made
6 steps · 30 min
- 15 min
Take 4 cachama fillets or 2 small whole butterflied cachama (about 600g each); score the skin.
- 25 min
Blend 6 cloves garlic, the juice of 4 limes, 2 chopped spring onions, 1 tsp cumin and 1 tsp salt into a marinade; coat the fish and rest 20 minutes.
- 34 min
Light a charcoal fire and let it burn to medium coals; oil the grill grate.
- 410 min
Grill the fish skin-side down for 8 minutes, then carefully turn and cook 5 minutes more until the flesh flakes at the bone.
Watch outGrill skin-side down until the flesh flakes at the bone, turning only once — the skin crisps and shields the meat; flip it too often on a fierce fire and it dries and sticks.
- 58 min
While the fish cooks, boil 500g yuca in salted water until tender, about 20 minutes; drain.
- 64 min
Serve the fish with the yuca and a bowl of ají llanero.
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