Name: Pisillo de pescado llanero: Shredded Llanos-Style Salt Fish
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 30 min
Cuisine: Colombian
Ingredients: 600 g commercially prepared salt-dried boneless white fish, clearly labeled for human consumption; 2 L cold water, for soaking; discard; 1.5 L fresh water, for cooking; discard after cooking; 30 ml neutral oil; 120 g scallions, thinly sliced; 120 g white onion, finely diced; 150 g ripe tomato, finely diced; 80 g red bell pepper, finely diced; 10 g garlic, minced; 1 g ground cumin; 1 g ground achiote or annatto; 1 g ground black pepper (optional); 10 g fresh cilantro cimarrón (culantro), finely chopped; use cilantro if unavailable; 0–2 g fine salt, only if needed after tasting; Cooked rice, ripe plantain, cooked yuca or arepa

Wide riverside table in the Llanos with pisillo, rice, ripe plantain and cooked yuca.

Region Llanos Orientales, Colombia; regional examples include Meta

Category Shredded salted fish sautéed with hogao

Prep time 30 minutes active

Cook time 30 minutes

Passive time 8–12 hours refrigerated desalting

Ingredients ↓

Overview

Pisillo de pescado llanero: Shredded Llanos-Style Salt Fish

A home adaptation with refrigerated desalting and a tomato-onion hogao

Pisillo, also called picillo in some Colombian recipes, is part of the foodways of the Llanos Orientales. Regional accounts describe salted or dried fish cooked until tender, shredded and sautéed with a criollo guiso or hogao. A Meta tourism publication associates pisillo de pescado seco with Semana Santa and mentions several river fish; other Llanos recipes use salted catfish with scallion, tomato, garlic, cilantro cimarrón, achiote and cumin. Rice, plantain, yuca and arepa all appear as serving companions.

Those accounts vary in fish, seasoning and method, so this recipe is a practical four-serving home adaptation rather than a single definitive Llanos formula. It uses commercially prepared salt-dried fish sold for human consumption. Do not salt or dry fish at home for this recipe. Desalting takes place in the refrigerator, and the soaking water is discarded.

Ingredients

Desalting

600 g commercially prepared salt-dried boneless white fish, clearly labeled for human consumption
2 L cold water, for soaking; discard

For cooking the fish

1.5 L fresh water, for cooking; discard after cooking

Hogao and finish

30 ml neutral oil
120 g scallions, thinly sliced
120 g white onion, finely diced
150 g ripe tomato, finely diced
80 g red bell pepper, finely diced
10 g garlic, minced
1 g ground cumin
1 g ground achiote or annatto
1 g ground black pepper (optional)
10 g fresh cilantro cimarrón (culantro), finely chopped; use cilantro if unavailable
0–2 g fine salt, only if needed after tasting

To serve (optional)

Cooked rice, ripe plantain, cooked yuca or arepa

Method

Desalt the fish under refrigeration Check the package directions first. Place the salted fish in a covered food-safe container, cover with 2 L cold water and refrigerate at or below 4°C for 8–12 hours, changing the water twice. If the package specifies a different safe desalting time, follow it. Discard all soaking water.
Simmer until tender Drain and briefly rinse the fish. Put it in a saucepan with 1.5 L fresh water, bring to a simmer and cook for about 15 minutes, or until the flesh separates easily. Drain, discard the cooking water and let the fish cool just enough to handle.
Flake and check for bones Use two forks to pull the fish into small strands. Check carefully with your fingers and remove every bone you find. If the hogao is not ready, cover and refrigerate the fish rather than leaving it at room temperature.
Soften the onions and pepper Warm the oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the scallions, white onion and red bell pepper. Cook for 5–7 minutes, stirring often, until softened and glossy but not browned.
Cook the tomato hogao Add the tomato, garlic, cumin, achiote and black pepper, if using. Cook for 8–10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the tomato collapses and the mixture forms a thick, spoonable hogao. Lower the heat if the edges begin to scorch.
Fold in the fish and finish Add the flaked fish, cilantro cimarrón and 100 ml fresh water. Fold gently to coat the strands without turning them to paste. Cover and simmer on low for 10 minutes, until the mixture is steaming hot and moist but not watery. Taste before adding any salt; cured fish may still be quite salty.
Serve and store safely Serve hot with rice, ripe plantain, cooked yuca or arepa. Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours in a shallow covered container at or below 4°C. Use within 1–2 days and reheat once to 74°C throughout.

Practical guidance

Practical

Practical guidance

Buy fish that is already prepared for eating. Choose commercially prepared salt-dried fish from a reliable supplier and follow the package directions. This recipe does not give instructions for salting, drying or preserving raw fish at home. Keep the desalting step cold. Soak the fish in the refrigerator, not on the counter. The water should be cold, the container covered and the fish held at or below 4°C. Discard the soaking water and cooking water. Salt level after soaking is product-dependent, so taste before seasoning. Adapt the desalting to the product. Salt-dried fish varies in thickness, cure and saltiness. The package may specify a shorter or longer soak. Follow its safe preparation guidance; if no guidance is available, use a product from a supplier who can explain how it should be desalted and cooked. The measured 8–12-hour soak is a household baseline, not a universal requirement. Check for bones after cooking. Some salted river fish may retain small bones. Flake the cooked fish slowly, feel through it and remove bones before combining it with the hogao. Do not assume that a package marked boneless is completely bone-free. Let the hogao reduce before adding fish. Tomato should soften into a thick, moist base, not remain raw and watery. Adding the fish only after the vegetables have softened helps the strands take on the seasoning without prolonged frying. Keep the texture loose, not pasty. Fold rather than mash. If the mixture looks dry, stir in a spoonful of hot water; if it is wet, uncover and simmer briefly until the excess liquid evaporates. Choose a regional accompaniment. Meta's tourism material mentions rice, plantain and cooked yuca; other Llanos cooks serve pisillo with arepa. Choose one or two sides rather than treating one combination as mandatory. Cool leftovers promptly. Put leftovers in a shallow container and refrigerate within 2 hours at or below 4°C. Use within 1–2 days and reheat once to 74°C throughout. Discard food left at room temperature for more than 2 hours.

Final notes

Allergens: Contains fish. Check the cured-fish label for declared allergens and cross-contact information. Food safety: Desalt under refrigeration at or below 4°C, discard soaking water, check carefully for bones, refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours and reheat once to 74°C.

Nutrition per serving

Serving size: One quarter of the prepared fish and hogao
Calories: About 330 kcal
Carbohydrate: 15 g
Protein: 34 g
Fat: 14 g
Fibre: 4 g
Sodium: About 1,300 mg

Pisillo de pescado llanero: Shredded Llanos-Style Salt Fish

Ingredients

Desalting

For cooking the fish

Hogao and finish

To serve (optional)

Method

Practical

Practical guidance

Final notes

Nutrition per serving

Colombian National Dishes

Hallaca Llanera: Colombian Llanos Corn-and-Meat Parcels

Cachama asada: Colombian Llanos Charcoal-Grilled Fish

Tungos llaneros: Colombian Llanos Rice and Cuajada Parcels