Hispanic Heritage · Ecuador

Manabí

Portoviejo · Manta · Montecristi · Jaramijó · Crucita · Rocafuerte

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Viche de pescado

Descubre

Manabí’s viche combines fish, vegetables, plantain, and ground peanuts in a substantial coastal soup. The peanut gives the broth body and a rounded flavor that sets this kitchen apart.

La Gente

Prepare the peanut mixture as directed so it blends smoothly into the broth. Add the fish after the vegetables have had time to soften. Fresh herbs at the finish keep the generous bowl lively.

Sabor

Manabí cooks with the peanut. Toasted, ground, in the soup and on the table. Achiote for color, cumin and garlic in the refrito, cilantro and culantro at the end, and the sea in the middle. The plantain does what potatoes do elsewhere. It is rich without being heavy, and hot only if you reach for the ají.

Spice DNA · Herb medium · Sweet medium · Smoke low · Heat low · Acid medium

Seasonings to explore

Minced Garlic in Olive Oil. In the refrito. Adds a savory garlic base.
Cumin, ground. In the viche and in the salprieta.
Sazón with Coriander and Annatto. The closest jar to achiote, which colors both the soup and the salprieta.
Onion Powder. With the fresh onion.
Black Pepper, ground. In the soup.
Cilantro flakes. For the salprieta when the fresh is gone. Fresh for the soup, always.
Oregano, whole. A pinch in the salprieta. Some families do.

From your market: raw peanuts, green plantains, yuca, a piece of squash, corn on the cob, green beans, a firm white fish, cilantro and culantro, and toasted corn flour or fine cornmeal for the salprieta. Badia does not sell the queso manaba.

Cocina

Viche de pescado

The peanut and plantain soup of Manabí, with fish. Toast the peanuts yourself. The jar of butter is not the same and the province will know.

Serves 6

1 cup raw peanuts
3 tbsp oil
1 red onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
2 tbsp Badia Minced Garlic in Olive Oil, or 5 garlic cloves minced
½ tsp Badia Onion Powder
1 tsp Badia Cumin, ground
1 tsp Badia Sazón with Coriander and Annatto
½ tsp Badia Black Pepper, ground
8 cups water or fish broth
2 green plantains, 1 grated fine and 1 cut in chunks
1 lb yuca, peeled and cut in chunks
2 cups squash, peeled and cubed
2 ears of corn, cut in thirds
1 cup green beans, cut
1½ lb firm white fish, in thick pieces
Salt
½ cup cilantro and culantro, chopped

The peanuts. Toast them in a dry pan over medium until golden and fragrant, 8 to 10 minutes, shaking often. Cool. Blend with a cup of the water to a smooth, thick paste.
The refrito. Warm the oil in a soup pot. Cook the onion and pepper until soft, add the garlic and onion powder, then the cumin, sazón, and pepper. Cook 2 minutes until the oil is orange.
The body. Add the remaining water, the peanut paste, and the grated plantain. Bring to a boil, stirring so nothing catches, then simmer 10 minutes. It will begin to thicken.
The vegetables. Add the plantain chunks and yuca. Simmer 15 minutes. Add the squash, corn, and green beans. Simmer 15 minutes more, until everything is tender and the soup coats a spoon.
The fish. Lay the fish in and simmer gently 8 to 10 minutes until it flakes. Salt. Cilantro and culantro at the end.
Serve in deep bowls with a piece of fish in each, rice on the side, and the salprieta on the table.

Salprieta

Toast ½ cup raw peanuts and ¼ cup fine cornmeal separately in a dry pan until golden. Grind them together to a coarse, sandy powder with 1 tsp Badia Cumin, ½ tsp Badia Sazón with Coriander and Annatto, ½ tsp salt, a pinch of Badia Oregano, and 2 tbsp chopped cilantro or 1 tbsp Badia Cilantro flakes. Stir in a tablespoon of oil until it just clumps. Keep it in a jar. Put it on everything. That is what it is for.

Pueblos de Manabí

Portoviejo · Manta · Montecristi · Jaramijó · Crucita · Rocafuerte · Santa Ana · Jipijapa · Puerto López · Chone · Calceta · Tosagua · Bahía de Caráquez · San Vicente · Canoa · Jama · Pedernales · Cojimíes · El Carmen · Flavio Alfaro