Name: Pescado cabrito: Colombian Caribbean Stuffed Grilled Fish
Prep time: 35 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 1 h 20 min
Cuisine: Colombian
Ingredients: 1.5 kg whole scaled white-fleshed fish, cleaned and butterflied, head and tail attached; 150 g red onion, finely chopped; 200 g ripe tomato, finely chopped; 12 g garlic (about 4 cloves), finely chopped; 15 ml neutral oil; 6 g fine salt, divided; 30 ml lime juice; 10 g food-safe cotton butcher’s twine; 500 g fresh cassava (yuca), peeled, cut into 8 cm pieces and cored; 1 large green unripe plantain, about 350 g peeled flesh, cut into 5 cm pieces; 2 L water, divided; 100 g panela, grated or broken into small pieces; 60 ml lime juice, for the drink and serving; 2 g fine salt, for the cooking water

Wide riverside grill scene with stuffed whole fish on banana leaves, cassava, plantain and panela-lime drink.

Region San Estanislao de Kostka, Bolívar, Colombian Caribbean

Category Stuffed whole grilled fish with boiled roots and a panela-lime drink

Active preparation About 35 minutes

Cooking time About 45 minutes

Total time About 1 hour 20 minutes

Ingredients ↓

Overview

Pescado cabrito: Colombian Caribbean Stuffed Grilled Fish

Whole fish filled with onion, tomato and garlic, tied closed and grilled; served with yuca, green plantain and panela-lime drink

In San Estanislao de Kostka, Bolívar, the Colombian Ministry of Culture records pescado cabrito as an everyday fish preparation. Its concise description gives the defining method: open the fish, fill it with onion, tomato and garlic, tie it closed and grill it. Yuca or green plantain accompanies the fish, with panela water and lime to drink. The inventory does not set household quantities, specify a fish species or prescribe a single cut or tying material, so this version gives a reproducible home formula while keeping those limits clear.

Here, a whole scaled fish is butterflied with the head and tail left attached, filled with a quickly softened onion-tomato mixture, and secured with food-safe cotton butcher’s twine. Cooking the filling before it goes inside keeps its raw vegetable juices from making the fish cook unevenly. The fish cooks over moderate charcoal heat, turned once. A grill basket can make the turn easier, but is optional. The accompanying cassava and green plantain are boiled until tender, rather than competing for space on the grill.

The name cabrito refers to this stuffed-and-closed preparation in the local recipe record; it does not mean goat. A related Ministry publication documents bocachico cabrito from the same municipality, while noting that local cooks use more than one name for an opened stuffed fish. This recipe follows the separate Pescado cabrito inventory entry and does not assume every household uses the same fish or wrapping technique.

Ingredients

Fish and filling

1.5 kg whole scaled white-fleshed fish, cleaned and butterflied, head and tail attached
150 g red onion, finely chopped
200 g ripe tomato, finely chopped
12 g garlic (about 4 cloves), finely chopped
15 ml neutral oil
6 g fine salt, divided
30 ml lime juice
10 g food-safe cotton butcher’s twine

Accompaniments

500 g fresh cassava (yuca), peeled, cut into 8 cm pieces and cored
1 large green unripe plantain, about 350 g peeled flesh, cut into 5 cm pieces
2 L water, divided
100 g panela, grated or broken into small pieces
60 ml lime juice, for the drink and serving
2 g fine salt, for the cooking water

Method

Prepare the drink and grill Dissolve the panela in 1 L warm water, then stir in 30 ml of the lime juice. Chill while you cook. Set a charcoal grill for moderate two-zone heat: the coals should be mostly covered with pale ash, with a cooler area available for slower cooking. Keep a clean plate ready for the cooked fish.
Cook the cassava and plantain Put the cassava in a pot with enough of the remaining water to cover it and the 2 g salt. Bring to a boil, then simmer for about 10 minutes. Add the plantain and continue cooking for about 15 minutes, until both are tender when pierced. Drain, cover and keep warm. If the cassava softens first, remove it with a slotted spoon and let the plantain finish.
Soften the filling Warm the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 4–5 minutes until softened, not browned. Stir in the garlic for 30 seconds, then add the tomato and 3 g of the salt. Cook for 5–7 minutes until the tomato releases its juices and the mixture is moist but not watery. Spread it on a plate and let it cool until just warm.
Fill and tie the fish Pat the fish dry. Rub the inside and outside with the remaining 3 g salt and 30 ml lime juice. Spoon the cooled filling into the cavity, spreading it in an even layer without packing it tightly. Bring the sides together and tie at 4–5 cm intervals with the cotton twine. Check that no loose strand can touch the coals. Keep the fish chilled if the grill is not ready.
Grill gently on the first side Oil the clean grill grate lightly. Place the fish over the cooler side, close the lid and grill for about 20 minutes. Keep the temperature moderate; flare-ups can scorch the skin before the centre cooks. Move the fish briefly to the hotter side only if you need a little more browning, then return it to indirect heat.
Turn and check the centre Using two broad spatulas or a grill basket, turn the fish carefully. Grill for about 15–20 minutes more, depending on its thickness. Insert an instant-read thermometer into the thickest flesh and into the centre of the filling without touching bone; both should reach 63°C. The flesh should be opaque and separate readily with a fork. If either point is below temperature, continue over indirect heat and check again after a few minutes.
Rest, open and serve Transfer the fish to the clean plate and rest for 5 minutes. Cut and remove the twine before serving. Open the fish carefully so diners can see the tomato-onion filling, and check for bones as you portion it. Serve hot with the cassava and plantain, the remaining lime juice and chilled panela-lime water.

Practical guidance

Practical

Nutrition per serving

Approximate values for the measured recipe divided into four servings. The calculation assumes about 750 g edible raw fish from the 1.5 kg whole fish, a 50% yield after head, skeleton and trimming; no species-specific nutrient profile is available because the municipal entry says only pescado. Raw tilapia is used as a broad lean-whitefish proxy, not as an identification of the local fish. Generic composition values are used for cassava, green plantain, tomato, onion, garlic, oil and panela. The estimate includes the measured salt and the panela drink. Fish species, edible yield, side portions and how much drink is consumed can shift the result substantially; allow at least 30% uncertainty. This is a calculated estimate, not a laboratory analysis.

Practical guidance

Choose a fish that can be opened flat. Ask the fish seller for a fresh, locally suitable whole fish with the scales intact, cleaned and butterflied while keeping the head and tail attached. The municipal entry does not name a species, so the recipe does not require bocachico or relabel another fish as that species. Keep the fish at 4°C or below until you are ready to fill it. Tie the fish with food-safe material. Cotton butcher’s twine holds the cavity closed without adding flavour. Do not use synthetic cord or ordinary craft string on the grill. If you have a fish basket, secure the fish inside it instead of tying it tightly; leave room for heat to reach the filling. Control the charcoal heat. A moderate two-zone fire lets the centre cook before the skin burns. If the fish is browning too quickly, move it to the cooler side and cover the grill. Cooking time varies with fish thickness and the distance from the coals, so use the thermometer rather than time alone. Check both fish and filling. Probe the thickest part of the fish and the centre of the stuffing, avoiding bones and the grill basket. Both need to reach 63°C. Keep raw fish, its board and utensils away from the cooked filling and sides; wash hands and equipment after handling it. Serve the roots simply. Cassava has a firm central fibre; remove it after cooking if it remains tough. Green plantain should be tender but still hold its pieces. Boil them separately so they do not absorb the fish’s grill drippings or crowd the fire. Keep the panela drink balanced. The measured panela makes a gently sweet drink, with lime to sharpen it. Chill it before serving. If you prefer a lighter drink, add cold water to the glass; do not change the measured recipe amounts if you are tracking the nutrition estimate. Cool leftovers promptly. Remove the stuffing from the fish and place the fish, filling and roots in shallow containers within 2 hours. Refrigerate at 4°C or below. Reheat only the portion you plan to serve until steaming throughout and at least 74°C in the centre; the fish is best freshly grilled and may dry out when reheated.

Allergens and food safety

This recipe contains finfish. Check ingredient labels if substituting packaged products. Buy the fish chilled, keep it at 4°C or below and cook it promptly. Keep raw fish and its utensils separate from cooked filling and ready-to-eat food; wash hands, boards, knives and surfaces after handling. Cook the thickest fish flesh and the centre of the filling to 63°C. The whole fish may contain pin bones; warn diners and inspect portions, especially for children. Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours at 4°C or below and reheat to 74°C.

Final notes

For a neat filling: Let the tomato mixture cool until just warm before spooning it into the fish. For a complete local-style plate: Serve the grilled fish with yuca, green plantain and a glass of panela-lime water.

Nutrition per serving

Serving size: 1 of 4 servings, including fish, filling, cassava, plantain and panela-lime drink
Calories: About 640 kcal
Carbohydrate: About 109 g
Protein: About 42 g
Fat: About 8 g
Fibre: About 6 g
Sodium: About 1010 mg

Pescado cabrito: Colombian Caribbean Stuffed Grilled Fish

Ingredients

Fish and filling

Accompaniments

Method

Practical

Nutrition per serving

Practical guidance

Allergens and food safety

Final notes

Nutrition per serving

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