Plate 09 of 10

Cazuela de Mariscos Manabita

Raw green plantain grated to a wet pulp, whisked into hot seafood fumet with ground peanuts until the starches seize into a thick glossy batter, then loaded with raw tuna, shrimp and squid and baked in clay pailas until the top blisters brown.

Prep: 40 min
Cook: 25 min
Serves: 6 individual clay pailas (20 cm / 8 in), or one 23×33 cm / 9×13 in dish
Difficulty: Hard

Researched · Kitchen testing pending

A round dark clay dish of golden-brown baked casserole with a toasted blistered surface, a portion scooped away to reveal pink shrimp and white fish beneath, with lime wedges and plantain chips alongside.

In the coastal province of Manabí, culinary tradition revolves around the clay oven and the plantain grove, and cazuela de mariscos honours both.

Raw green plantains are grated on the finest teeth of a box grater into a wet pulp, then whisked with rich fish fumet, an achiote-scented refrito and freshly ground roasted peanut paste. Cooked in a pot until glossy and thick, the batter is loaded with fresh albacore tuna, plump shrimp and tender squid.

Poured into preheated clay pailas de barro and baked at high heat, it emerges bubbling violently, with a dark, toasted crust on top and molten, savoury seafood beneath.

Ingredients

Batter base
4 largeGreen plantains (plátanos verdes), peeled and kept rawabout 600 g of grated pulp
1 LRich seafood fumetfrom fish bones, shrimp shells, white wine and aromatics
150 gRoasted unsalted peanuts, ground with 150 ml warm water into a smooth paste
Refrito
60 mlAchiote oil (annatto-infused oil)
2 largeRed onions, peeled and cut into fine 6 mm / ¼ in brunoise dice
6 clovesFresh garlic, minced to a paste
2 largeRipe plum tomatoes, peeled, seeded and finely chopped
1 largeGreen bell pepper, cored and diced fine
8 gGround cumin seeds, freshly toasted
4 gDried wild oregano, hand-crushed
15 gFine sea saltdivided
3 gFreshly ground black peppercorn
Seafood
400 gFresh albacore tuna or sea bass loin, cut into 3 cm / 1.2 in cubes
400 gFresh raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
200 gFresh squid tubes, cleaned, scored and cut into rings
30 gFresh cilantro, finely chopped
To serve
For serviceSteamed white rice, lime wedges and crisp plantain chifles

Raw plantain, not mashed

Unlike cooked plantain mash, finely grated raw green plantain is loaded with unhydrated native starch granules. Whisked into hot seafood stock with ground peanut paste and cooked over medium heat, those starches absorb water and swell between 70 °C and 78 °C / 158–172 °F, seizing suddenly into a thick, glossy, gelatinous batter.

Always dissolve in cold stock first

Tipping grated raw plantain straight into boiling liquid gives you lumps. Whisk the pulp smooth into cold fumet before any of it touches the hot pot.

The seafood goes in raw

Pre-cooking the fish and shrimp is the fastest route to a rubbery casserole. They are folded raw into the warm batter, and the 20-minute bake brings them to tender, juicy doneness at 60–63 °C / 140–145 °F while the core of the dish reaches 74 °C / 165 °F.

What the clay contributes

Baked in preheated unglazed earthenware at 200 °C / 400 °F, the porous clay radiates slow, even heat from the sides, cooking the delicate seafood gently while the exposed surface browns and dehydrates into a fragrant, toasted crust.

Passive time, counted separately

The baked pailas rest 5 minutes before service. That is not active work and sits outside the times quoted above.

The five tastes on this plate

Salt comes through the concentrated fumet and the seasoned plantain batter. Fat is achiote oil, peanut paste lipids and rich seafood oils. Acid is naturally low in a dish this dense, brightened at the table with lime squeezed over the hot crust. Heat is toasted cumin, garlic, cracked black pepper and optional ají de árbol. Umami is the fumet reduction, the tuna, squid and shrimp, and the roasted peanut paste.

Equipment

Heavy 6 qt Dutch oven
Box grater
Whisk
Silicone spatula
Six clay pailas 20 cm / 8 in, or 10–12 oz gratin dishes
Sturdy baking sheet
Offset spatula
Probe thermometer

Traditionally unglazed coastal clay bowls, pailas de barro manabitas, preheated in a wood-fired oven. Individual 10-to-12 oz ceramic or enamelled cast-iron baking dishes work in a modern kitchen — both insulate the batter, keeping the interior moist while the top forms a crisp, baked crust.

Method

Cook the achiote refrito14–16 min
Heat 60 ml achiote oil in a heavy 6-quart Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the diced red onions, garlic and green bell pepper and sweat 8 to 10 minutes until soft and translucent.
Add the chopped tomatoes, cumin, oregano, black pepper and 1 tsp salt, and cook down 6 minutes into a glossy, fragrant sofrito paste.
Heat 60 ml achiote oil over medium heat. Sweat onion, garlic and green pepper for 8–10 minutes until soft and translucent. Add tomatoes, cumin, oregano, black pepper and 1 tsp salt; cook 6 minutes into a glossy paste.
Grate the raw green plantains12 min
Peel the raw green plantains.
Using the finest star-shaped teeth of a box grater, grate them into a bowl until you have a fine, wet pulp — about 600 g.
Peel the raw green plantains and grate on the finest star-shaped teeth of a box grater, collecting about 600 g fine, wet pulp.
Build and thicken the plantain-peanut batter8–10 min
In a large bowl, whisk the grated plantain pulp with 500 ml cold seafood fumet until completely smooth, with no lumps.
Pour the slurry into the Dutch oven with the hot refrito. Add the remaining 500 ml fumet and the peanut paste, and whisk constantly over medium heat.
As the mixture approaches 75 °C / 167 °F, the plantain starches gelatinise suddenly, turning the watery liquid into a thick, glossy, bubbling batter. Season with salt and pepper and pull it off the heat.
Blend peanuts with 150 ml warm water into paste. Whisk plantain with 500 ml cold fumet until smooth before adding to hot refrito. Add remaining 500 ml fumet and peanut paste; whisk constantly over medium heat until thick and bubbling near 75 °C / 167 °F. Season; remove from heat.
Fold in the fresh seafood5 min
Season the tuna cubes, raw shrimp and squid rings with salt and a pinch of cumin.
Fold the raw seafood and the chopped cilantro directly into the warm batter with a silicone spatula. The residual heat begins warming the proteins.
Season tuna cubes, raw shrimp and squid rings with salt and a pinch of cumin. Fold them, still raw, into the warm batter with chopped cilantro using a silicone spatula.
Fill and bake the clay pailas23–24 min
Preheat the oven to 200 °C / 400 °F and brush six clay pailas with a little oil.
Divide the batter and seafood evenly among the dishes, smoothing the tops with an offset spatula, and set them on a sturdy baking sheet.
Bake on the middle rack 20 minutes, until bubbling vigorously, then switch to high broil for 3 to 4 minutes until the surface blisters with toasted golden-brown patches. The core must reach 74 °C / 165 °F.
Preheat oven to 200 °C / 400 °F. Oil six clay pailas; divide batter and seafood evenly, smooth tops and place on a sturdy tray. Bake on middle rack 20 minutes; broil high 3–4 minutes until blistered golden. Core must reach 74 °C / 165 °F.
Rest and serve
Take them out and rest 5 minutes — warn guests that the clay holds intense heat.
Serve directly in the baking dishes with steamed white rice, chifles and fresh lime wedges.
Remove the pailas and rest 5 minutes. Warn diners that the clay remains intensely hot; serve in the dishes with steamed white rice, chifles and fresh lime wedges.
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Sensory cues of doneness
- Visual: a deep golden-brown toasted crust across the top, vigorous bubbling along the clay rim, and succulent pink shrimp and white fish beneath.
- Auditory: excited, persistent bubbling and hissing from the edge of the dish as steam escapes.
- Olfactory: toasted green plantain, roasted peanuts, sweet shrimp, sea fish, cumin and hot clay.
Look for a deeply golden, toasted crust, vigorous bubbling around the rim, and juicy pink shrimp and white fish underneath, with aromas of toasted plantain, peanuts and seafood.

Troubleshooting

Lumpy plantain batter.: Grated raw plantain was tipped into boiling liquid. Always whisk it smooth into cold stock before it goes anywhere near heat.
Overcooked seafood.: The fish and shrimp were cooked before baking. They go into the batter completely raw — the 20-minute bake brings them to tender doneness.
A scorched batter.: The batter was not stirred while heating. Raw plantain starches stick to hot metal fast; whisk continuously over medium heat.

Substitutions

One-to-one global substitutions, with the technique adjustment each one requires.

Ingredient substitutions

Ingredient	Replace with	Culinary impact and technique adjustment
Albacora (albacore)	Mahi-mahi, sea bass or halibut	One-to-one. Cut into sturdy 3 cm chunks
Green plantains	No substitute — they must be completely green and unripened	Only green plantains carry the high starch content needed to thicken the batter
Roasted peanuts	Pure natural unsalted peanut butter	One-to-one. Whisk it into warm stock

Scaling

Half, for 3 pailas

Halve the ingredients. The bake stays at 20 minutes at 200 °C.

Double, for 12 portions

Double the ingredients, and thicken the batter in two separate pots so it heats evenly.

What to serve it with

Arroz blanco caliente — steamed white rice, to balance the rich plantain-peanut casserole
Chifles — crisp, thin salted green plantain chips
Fresh lime wedges, squeezed over the hot crust at the table
Ají manaba — the Manabí-style spicy pickled chilli condiment
A chilled Pilsener or fresh coconut water

Questions

Can I use a single large casserole dish instead of individual clay pailas?

Yes. Pour the batter into a 23×33 cm / 9×13 in ceramic dish and bake at 200 °C / 400 °F for 25 to 30 minutes, then broil 3 minutes.

How do I grate raw green plantains without tiring my hands?

Cut the peeled raw plantain into 2.5 cm chunks and process them with 250 ml of cold stock until completely smooth and puréed.

Can I use other seafood?

Yes. Mussels, clams, crab meat, or firm white fish fillets like mahi-mahi or sea bass all work wonderfully.