Recipes

Panamanian Tilapia With Asparagus

INGREDIENTS:

6 tilapia fillets marinated with garlic, lemon juice, salt & pepper to taste
12 oz. asparagus spears
Onion, chopped
Red pepper, chopped
9 oz. flour
2 tablespoons Curry powder
2 cups water
4 tablespoons oil

DIRECTIONS:

First, add tilapia fillets, coated in flour to 3 tablespoons of oil in a medium skillet. Cook on medium heat until golden brown and set aside. Next, add onions, red peppers and 2 tablespoons of Curry powder to 1 tablespoon of oil in medium skillet and sautee ingredients. Additionally, add 2 cups of water ensuring all ingredients are mixed well as all ingredients are sauteed and set aside. Then, add asparagus to 2 cups of water in medium skillet, on medium heat and cook until tender, but FIRM. Lastly, place all cooked ingredients onto a serving dish, and serve.

Pescado frito, or fried fish comes in a variety of delectable dishes in Panama. Pescado frito is a fundamental dish, and its origins can be traced back to Chorillo. This version of fried tilapia includes the traditional way of marinating the fillets, to give it a “softer” taste, or a “less fishy” taste. This dish serves well with rice, or fried Patacones which are fried plantains.

Pork Tamales in Banana Leaf

The Panamanian Tamale is a traditional Mesoamerican dish, centered on the “masa,” in which the ingredients are cooked, then steamed to a dough-like consistency. Unlike the Mexican tamale, which is cooked in corn husks, the Panamanian Tamale is steamed in plantain leaves, giving it a much saturated, dense and more flavorful texture.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2.78 lbs. pork loin center cut boneless, marinated with onion, cilantro, green pepper, lemon juice, garlic, salt & pepper to taste.
• 6 oz. large black olives
• 10 oz. Spanish Queen Olives
• 16 oz. Capote Capers
• 12 oz. raisins
• 1 cup tomato sauce (Basil, Garlic, Oregano)
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 12 cups water
• 5 lbs. Azteca “Masa”
• Banana leaves
• String

DIRECTIONS:

First, add 2.78 lbs. pork loin center cut boneless to 2 tablespoons oil in medium saucepan and cook until brown. Next, add marinated ingredients with pork loin and cook on high heat for 5 minutes. Subsequently, add 6 cups of water and continue cooking on high heat for 5 minutes, then cook on reduced heat for 3 hours.

As the pork loin cooks, prepare the banana leaves by washing them well. When the pork loin is ready, it will become a “masa.” Next, add “masa,” 10 oz. Spanish Queen Olives, 16 oz. Capote Capers and 12 oz. raisins to center of banana leaf, wrapping ingredients inside banana leaf like a present…securing leaf with string…forming the Panamanian Tamale.

Lastly, add tamale to 6 cups of heated water, in a large saucepan, and cook for approximately 1 hour. Remove tamale from pan, as this dish is ready to be served.

Panamanian Fried Catfish with Plantains & Smoked Sausage

As I cook this simple, yet appetizing meal…I can recollect my early childhood and I envision my mother cooking this dish…as my siblings and I awaited anxiously…mouthwatering from the delightfully intoxicating aroma in the air… that filled the kitchen with splendor.

INGREDIENTS

8 oz. catfish fillets marinated with garlic, lemon juice, salt & pepper to taste
3 plantains sliced
16 oz. smoked sausage
3 tablespoons oil
9 oz. flour

DIRECTIONS

First, in medium skillet, over medium heat, fry 3 sliced plantains in 3 tablespoons of oil. Cook until golden brown. Next, coat 8 oz. catfish fillets with 9 oz. of flour. Then fry, in medium skillet, over medium heat in 3 tablespoons of oil. Cook until golden brown. Lastly, add 16 oz. of smoked sausage, in medium skillet, over medium heat in 3 tablespoons of oil. Cook until ready. This dish is now ready to serve.

This meal is rich in vitamin A, vitamin B6, potassium, vitamin B12, and vitamin B3.