Piranha Soup (Caldo de piranha)
Overview
Caldo de piranha is a thick, savoury fish soup from the Pantanal wetlands and the Amazon region of Brazil. Whole piranhas, cleaned and cut into pieces, are simmered with onion, garlic, tomato, sweet pepper and lime juice until the flesh falls from the many small bones. The broth is strained carefully, the bones removed, and the soup is thickened with a little cassava flour or blended until creamy. It is seasoned with chilli, coriander and chives and served very hot, often in small cups as a starter with toast, lime and hot pepper sauce.
History
Piranhas are plentiful in the rivers of the Pantanal in Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul, and local fishermen have long cooked them in broth. The soup became a famous speciality of the region's riverside restaurants and fishing lodges, where visitors try it after piranha fishing trips. Many locals believe it is an aphrodisiac and gives strength, which has added to its fame across Brazil.
Main ingredients
Piranha, tomatoes, onion and garlic, sweet pepper, lime, coriander and chives. The soup is built on fish broth and is usually served hot. Diet: pescatarian; usually gluten-free.
Explore: Tomato soups · More soups from Brazil
Recipe
Method
- 120 min
Marinate the fish in the lime juice, garlic and salt for 20 minutes.
- 225 min
Fry the onion, pepper and tomato in oil, add the fish and water and simmer for 25 minutes.
- 3
Strain the broth and pick the flesh from the bones.
- 4
Blend the flesh with the broth, or thicken with cassava flour.
- 5
Season with chilli and serve with coriander and chives.
- ✓
Serve. About 1 h from start to bowl.
Sources
Description, history and recipe written by SoupWiki and checked against the sources above. Calories and times are rough estimates.
