Gamitana Frita from the Colombian Amazon

Arrange the fish preparation Keep the fish refrigerated at or below 4°C until you are ready to cook. If frozen, thaw it in the refrigerator. Ask the fishmonger to descale and clean the fish, remove the gills and gall, reserve the head, and cut the cleaned flesh into small, even pieces about 4–5 cm across. You need about 1.2 kg of edible flesh for four servings. Pat the pieces dry with clean paper towels; dry surfaces brown more evenly and reduce oil splatter. Keep the raw fish separate from the ready-to-eat fariña and the cooked plantains.

Make the head broth Put the cleaned head, water, onion and optional cilantro stems in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer gently for 25–30 minutes, skimming foam if needed. The broth should smell clean and fish-forward, not sour or ammoniacal. Strain it through a fine strainer, taking care to keep small bones out of the liquid. Discard the solids and keep the broth hot. This simple broth method makes the source’s fish-head accompaniment reproducible at home; the cited regional recipe names the broth but does not specify its formula.

Start the patacones Peel the plantains and cut them crosswise into pieces about 3 cm thick. Heat frying oil to about 160°C in a heavy pot, taking care not to fill the pot more than halfway. Fry the plantain pieces in batches for 4–5 minutes, until tender but only lightly colored. Lift them out and drain briefly. Flatten each piece between sheets of baking paper with a plantain press or the bottom of a small pan.

Crisp the patacones and warm the fariña Raise the oil to about 175°C. Fry the flattened plantains in batches for 2–3 minutes per side, until crisp and golden. Drain them on a rack and season with some of the measured salt. Keep the fariná dry and ready to serve; it is an accompaniment, not something to reprocess. Use only commercially prepared or otherwise professionally processed fariña. Bitter cassava must undergo specialized processing before it is safe to eat, so this recipe does not give a home-processing method.

Season and fry the gamitana Check that the oil is near 175°C. Season the dried fish pieces evenly with the 6 g salt allocated to the fish. Fry in small batches so the oil temperature does not collapse and the pieces have room to move. Turn them once or twice with a slotted spoon. Depending on thickness, allow about 4–6 minutes per batch, but use temperature and texture rather than time alone: check the thickest piece with a clean instant-read thermometer and continue cooking until it reaches at least 63°C. The center should be opaque and separate readily with a fork; the outside should be golden. Transfer the pieces to a wire rack to drain. Allow the oil to return to temperature between batches.

Serve while hot Bring the hot fish, crisp patacones, fariña and hot broth to the table together. The Ministry of Culture’s published version pairs gamitana frita with all three accompaniments. Keep the fish on a clean platter, away from anything that held raw fish. Serve immediately for the best contrast between crisp coating, tender fish and dry, toasted cassava.