Seafood broth is an emblematic dish of Guatemalan cuisine, especially popular during summer and Holy Week. According to culinary experts, the secret to achieve an authentic flavor is at the bottom of the broth, prepared with one or two fish heads, a key ingredient that provides depth and wealth to the dish.
Whether with the traditional grandmother’s recipe or with the touch of professional chefs, this broth not only delights the palate, but is also a nutritious option. Its combination of ingredients provides vitamins A, D, B12 and Niacin, in addition to proteins, calcium, omega 3, phosphorus and magnesium, essential for a balanced diet.
Despite its multiple variations according to the region where it is prepared, its elaboration is simple. Some versions include accompaniments such as white rice, rice with coconut milk or even Manchego cheese, which, when melting, creates a creamy layer on the broth.
Whether with octopus, mussels or jets, this saucer adapts to different tastes. Next, an easy and traditional recipe to enjoy a real Guatemalan seafood broth.
Basic seafood broth recipe
Chef Cordon Blue for K´abel, Diego Jarquín consulted for this recipe, commented that this dish is easy to prepare and that, in an estimated time of 1 hour and 30 minutes, it must be ready. In addition, he stressed that it is one of the most abundant and nutritious meals.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR CLEANING INGREDIENTS
- Clean all ingredients well:
- Shrimp: Remove the heads and reserve them. Make a cut at the top of the spine and extract the “gut” or “vein”.
- Jaibas: Wash with a brush to remove the accumulated land between the legs and in the shell. Cut them in half.
- Fish: Remove guts and scales. Filrate them and reserve the heads and spine.
- Clams and mussels: wash and brush the shells well to eliminate impurities.
- Vegetables: Wash and disinfect. Cut into uniform pieces of approximately 2 x 2 centimeters.
For a portion of four people, the chef shared a recipe with a free press for which the following ingredients will be needed:
Ingredients:
- 12 mature tomatoes
- 2 large onions
- 4 garlic dietenes
- 2 chiles peppers
- 2 guaque chiles
- Cilantro
- 4 large celery branches
- 2 pounds of medium -sized shrimp
- 2 medium fish
- 4 Jaibas
- 1 pound of clams
- 1 pound of mussels
- 6 liters of water
- Salt and pepper
- Cobanero Chile (Optional)
Preparation:
- In the pot where the broth will be prepared, oil must be added and heat well.
- Incorporate the shrimp and fish heads, along with the spine and the jaibas cut in half.
- When the ingredients are well golden and orange, add the guaque chiles and, if desired, a bit of Cobanero Chile to taste. Let brown for a few minutes. Salpimentar slightly to enhance the taste.
- Add vegetables and cilantro stems with their roots well washed. Sauté until browning.
- Pour half of the water and cook over low heat by 1 to 1:30 hours.
- Turn off the fire and remove the vegetables along with the seafood remains. For this step, it is recommended to use a strainer to separate the liquids from the solids and remove the fish and fish heads.
- In a blender, process all the vegetables along with some shrimp heads and 1 or 2 pieces of Jaiba. Add a bit of the cooking broth and liquefied well.
- Return the mixture liquefied to the pot and repeat this process until you have liquefied all the vegetables. If the cooking broth is exhausted, add water to complete the preparation.
- Incorporate the rest of the water, the clams, the mussels and half of the chopped coriander. Cook for 10 to 15 more minutes. Rectify the season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Add the shrimp and fish fillets, cook for additional 5 minutes.
- Optionally, shrimp and fish can be fry separately to improve texture and taste. To do this, season the seafood to taste and fry them in a pan with enough oil until they are well golden.
- Serve the broth in deep dishes with chopped fresh coriander and freshly cooked shellfish.
- Accompany with avocado, lemon and more spicy to taste.
Tips for homemade preparation
The chef and gastronomic researcher Euda Morales shared some techniques to prepare this dish in a simple and homemade way.
- Prepare the base broth: in a large pot, slowly cook the fish heads with water, onion, thyme and laurel. This should be boiled until a fish fund with a concentrated flavor in approximately 20 minutes is obtained. Having this concentrate, the broth must be sneaked and reserve ..
- Sofrito: In another pot, the onion, garlic cloves, pepper chili and tomatoes chopped with a little oil should be frying. These ingredients must season with salt, pepper and paprika to taste.
- Incorporate the broth and blend: when the vegetables are golden, add the previously reserved fish broth. Cook about 10 minutes and liquefy the mixture to obtain a more homogeneous base.
- Add seafood and vegetables: return the base liquefied to the pot and add the seafood (Jaibas, shrimp, fish fillet, mussels and jets). Also incorporate carrot and potatoes into cubes. Let cook over 30 to 40 minutes until all ingredients are well cooked.
Tips for choosing fresh seafood:
To choose the appropriate proteins, chef Morales gave some tips on how to select seafood in a healthy way.
- Fresh fish must have a sea smell, bright eyes and firm skin.
- By pressing the fish from the fish, it must sink and recover its shape.
- Seafood must be refrigerated or on ice. Avoid buying exposed products without cooling.
- The shrimp must be cleaned properly, removing the black vein before cooking them.
- The crab is bought alive to guarantee its freshness