Recipes · Venezuelan · Seafood

Pastel de Chucho (Margarita Island Plantain and Dogfish Bake)

One serving has 689 kcal and 40 g protein, and at least a fifth of a woman's daily need of vitamin C (120%), cobalamin (113%), vitamin K (113%), selenium (109%), pyridoxine (90%) and phosphorus (83%). Ready in 105 minutes.

• Preparation: 30 min
• Cooking: 75 min
• Makes: 1 serving (490 g)
• Difficulty: Medium
• Diets: Pescatarian, Gluten-free, High protein
• Contains: dairy, egg, fish

Ingredients

• 120 g Dogfish or other small shark (cazón)
• 0.6 g Salt
• 5 g Vegetable oil, for the sofrito
• 40 g Onion, finely chopped
• 25 g Red sweet pepper, finely chopped
• 15 g Ají dulce (or more red pepper), finely chopped
• 4 g Garlic, crushed
• 8 g Spring onions, chopped
• 50 g Tomatoes, chopped
• 0.4 g Ground cumin
• 0.5 g Paprika (or ground onoto, annatto)
• 0.2 g Black pepper
• 3 g Coriander leaves, chopped
• 140 g Very ripe plantains
• 10 g Vegetable oil, for frying (the amount absorbed)
• 3 g Butter, for the dish
• 40 g Venezuelan white cheese (queso blanco), grated
• 25 g Eggs

Method

1. Makes 6 servings in a 20 × 30 cm baking dish; the amounts are for one serving, so multiply every ingredient by 6. Put the fish in a pan with water to cover and a pinch of the salt, simmer for 10-12 minutes until it flakes, then drain it, remove the skin and cartilage and shred it finely with a fork.
2. Heat the oil for the sofrito in a large frying pan and cook the onion, red pepper, ají dulce, garlic and the white part of the spring onions over a medium heat for 8-10 minutes until soft. Add the tomatoes, cumin, paprika, the rest of the salt and the pepper and cook 5 minutes more.
3. Stir in the shredded fish and cook for 5 minutes until fairly dry, then stir in the green part of the spring onions and the coriander.
4. Peel the plantains and cut them lengthwise into slices about 1 cm thick. Fry them in batches in the oil for frying for 2-3 minutes a side until golden and caramelised at the edges, and drain on kitchen paper.
5. Heat the oven to 180 °C (350 °F) and butter the dish. Lay a third of the plantain slices over the base, cover with half the fish and a third of the cheese, repeat, then finish with the last of the plantain.
6. Beat the eggs, pour them evenly over the top and scatter over the rest of the cheese. Bake for 25-30 minutes until set and golden, then leave for 10 minutes before cutting into squares.

Nutrition per serving

Shares of a day's need are for a woman of 30, 165 cm, 60 kg, lightly active, by the US and Canadian Dietary Reference Intakes. SustainBite works out each person's own needs, by the standard where they live: the Nordic Nutrition Recommendations in Norway, the UK's, EFSA's in the EU.

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