Corvina Cacerola (ecuadorean Fish Casserole)

Total Time: 1 hr 30 mins Preparation Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 1 hr

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• 4 green plantains
• 1 lb fish fillet
• 4 ounces onions, minced
• 4 ounces bell peppers, peeled, seeded, chopped
• 4 ounces tomatoes, peeled, seeded, chopped
• 2 ounces unsalted peanuts
• 7 ounces unsalted butter, plus
• additional unsalted butter, for buttering baking dish
• 2 teaspoons annatto oil (achiote oil , manteca)
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 4 cups water
• coarse salt
• fresh ground black pepper

Recipe

• 1 grate the plantains, separating one grated plantain from the rest.
• 2 butter a pyrex baking dish large enough to hold all the ingredients.
• 3 pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees.
• 4 finely grind the peanuts and dissolve them in 1/2 cup water (this is not meant to be peanut butter, tho, in a pinch, you could use it).
• 5 saute the onion in one ounce of butter over medium heat till softened, then remove from heat and add the peppers, tomatoes and fish fillets cut into pieces; add the peanut mixture, the oregano and the sugar and mix well.
• 6 season with salt and pepper and set aside.
• 7 bring 3 and 1/2 cups of water to boil with 2 ounces of butter, some grated pepper and one teaspoon of manteca(annato oil); as soon as it boils, add the three grated plantains and cook, stirring frequently until a smooth and relatively thick mixture forms.
• 8 place half the plantain mixture in the prepared pan, smoothing it out so that the bottom of the baking dish is covered.
• 9 layer the fish mixture on top and then cover the fish mixture with the remaining plantain paste.
• 10 in a saute pan over medium high heat, melt the remaining four ounces of butter and teaspoon of manteca; add the one remaining grated plantain and saute until well mixed.
• 11 spread this mixture over the top of the casserole.
• 12 bake the casserole until brown, about one hour.