Mainland Brazil · Volume 42, The Court and the Clay Pot
Isca de peixe
Rio de Janeiro
Illustration
- Time
- 45 minutes
- Researched
- 6 sources cited
The standard beach kiosk and boteco fried fish across Rio's coastline: firm white fish, lightly marinated, dredged in a cold beer batter and fried hot enough to shatter rather than steam.
As tradition built it
Serves 5. About 45 minutes.
Ingredients
The fish
- 700g fish fillet in strips (tilapia, cação or pintado)
- juice of 1 lime
- to taste salt and black pepper
- 2 cloves garlic, pressed
The batter
- 2 tbsp cornflour
- 120ml plain flour
- ½ tsp salt
- 240ml beer, at room temperature
To fry and serve
- for frying oil
- to serve lime slices
Method
- Season the fish with the lime juice, salt, pepper and garlic, and set it aside.
- Mix the cornflour, flour and salt in another bowl.
- Add the beer little by little, stirring until smooth.
- Pass the strips through the batter and tap off the excess.
- Fry a few at a time in hot oil until golden.
- Drain on paper and serve with lime slices.
Notes
The recipe is Ana Clara Archanjo's, for Guia da Cozinha, a boteco classic. No Rio newspaper recipe was found, and the source gives no oil temperature or frying time.
What a modern chef changes
A drier surface before the batter, and a colder batter against hotter oil
Method
- Dry the marinated fish strips briefly on the dehydrator before battering, drawing off surface moisture so the batter adheres more evenly and fries crisper rather than steaming inside its coating.
- Chill the beer batter over ice until the moment of frying, keeping it as cold as possible against the hot oil for a lighter, more shattering crust.
- Finish with a dehydrated lime zest and salt mix scattered over at the pass rather than a wedge served on the side, for even citrus across the whole plate.