Arroz atollado de toyo ahumado (Guapi smoked-shark coconut rice)
A moist Pacific-coast rice simmered with smoked young shark, refrito and coconut milk.
Arroz atollado de toyo ahumado is associated with Guapi, Cauca, on Colombia’s Pacific coast. Its defining texture is loose and spoonable: rice absorbs a smoky fish broth, then finishes with thick coconut milk and Pacific refrito. The Ministry of Culture’s cookbook identifies toyo as young shark and gives this dish an eight-serving home-style method.
The fish is soaked briefly to soften its smoke, then simmered in the water that becomes the rice broth. After removing skin and bones, flake the meat and fold it through refrito and rice. The final pot should be tender and quite moist, not dry like a separate-grain pilaf. Refrito recipes and their salt levels vary, so taste before seasoning.
This recipe uses commercially prepared, food-grade smoked toyo and keeps salt at zero initially. Shark is high in mercury. People who are or may become pregnant, breastfeeding people and children should avoid shark; soaking and cooking do not remove mercury. A lower-mercury smoked fish can be used as a variation, though it will no longer be the named toyo dish.
