Name: Sancocho de bocachico from Santa Cruz de Mompox, Colombia
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 1 h 15 min
Total time: 2 h 15 min
Cuisine: Colombian
Ingredients: 8 large fresh bocachicos, about 350–450 g each whole before cleaning; scaled, gutted and with gills removed, at least 25 cm long when measured whole; 450 g yuca (cassava), peeled and cut into 5 cm pieces; 2 green plantains, peeled and cut into thick rounds; 2 partly ripe plantains, peeled and cut into thick rounds; 115 g ají criollo or another mild, sweet pepper, seeded and chopped; 1 pinch ground black pepper; 1 pinch ground cumin; 1 whole head of garlic, cloves peeled and lightly crushed; 225 g scallions, finely chopped; 1 small ahuyama (pumpkin or winter squash), about 600 g peeled flesh, cut into large pieces; 1 lemon, juiced, plus wedges for serving if desired; 12 g fine salt to start, then more to taste; 5 tender corn ears, cut crosswise into thirds; 225 g ñame (white yam), peeled and cut into 5 cm pieces; About 5 L water, or enough to cover the vegetables and fish; White rice or coconut rice, optional and served separately; Suero costeño, optional; Lemon wedges, optional

Wide bowl of bocachico sancocho with river fish and vegetables beside the river

Yield 8 generous servings

Active preparation about 45 minutes

Passive preparation 15 minutes for the fish to rest with lemon and salt

Cooking about 1 hour 15 minutes

Total time about 2 hours 15 minutes

Ingredients ↓

Overview

Sancocho de bocachico from Santa Cruz de Mompox, Colombia

Sancocho de bocachico is recorded in Colombia’s traditional recipe inventory for Santa Cruz de Mompox, in Bolívar. Its ingredient set is distinctive: bocachico with yuca, plantain, ahuyama, ají criollo, ñame, corn and chopped scallion. A Mompox community cookbook gives a measured eight-serving version and suggests lemon or suero at the table, with white or coconut rice served alongside.

This home recipe follows that Mompox formula. It does not add coconut milk to the soup. Other Colombian fish sancochos use coconut milk, bleo or a different mix of vegetables; those are separate regional preparations. Here, the broth comes from the fish, aromatics and starchy vegetables as they simmer together.

Bocachico has many fine bones between the larger bones. Ask a trusted fish seller to scale and gut the fish, remove the gills and cut each fish into manageable portions if you prefer. Serve deliberately and remind diners to watch for bones, especially children. Buy traceable fish that meets current local requirements; Colombian guidance lists a minimum whole length of 25 cm for bocachico.

Ingredients

Fish and vegetables

8 large fresh bocachicos, about 350–450 g each whole before cleaning; scaled, gutted and with gills removed, at least 25 cm long when measured whole
450 g yuca (cassava), peeled and cut into 5 cm pieces
2 green plantains, peeled and cut into thick rounds
2 partly ripe plantains, peeled and cut into thick rounds
115 g ají criollo or another mild, sweet pepper, seeded and chopped
1 pinch ground black pepper
1 pinch ground cumin
1 whole head of garlic, cloves peeled and lightly crushed
225 g scallions, finely chopped
1 small ahuyama (pumpkin or winter squash), about 600 g peeled flesh, cut into large pieces
1 lemon, juiced, plus wedges for serving if desired
12 g fine salt to start, then more to taste
5 tender corn ears, cut crosswise into thirds
225 g ñame (white yam), peeled and cut into 5 cm pieces
About 5 L water, or enough to cover the vegetables and fish

To serve

White rice or coconut rice, optional and served separately
Suero costeño, optional
Lemon wedges, optional

Method

Season the fish Check that the fish is scaled, gutted and free of gills. Rinse briefly under cold running water only if needed, then pat dry. Rub with the lemon juice and a little of the measured salt. Refrigerate for 15 minutes while you prepare the vegetables. Keep raw fish and its juices away from ready-to-eat foods; wash hands and surfaces after handling it.
Start the broth and sturdy vegetables Pour about 5 L water into a large pot. Add the garlic, half the scallions, pepper, cumin and the remaining starting salt. Bring to a boil. Add the yuca, ñame, corn and green plantain. Lower the heat to a steady simmer and cook for about 25–30 minutes, until a knife enters the yuca and ñame with some resistance but they are not yet fully soft.
Add the tender vegetables Stir in the ají criollo, pumpkin and partly ripe plantain. Simmer for another 12–15 minutes. The roots should be nearly tender and the pumpkin softening while still holding its shape. Taste the broth and add a little more salt if needed.
Gently cook the bocachico Lower the heat so the soup simmers without a vigorous boil. Ease the fish into the pot, keeping the portions as intact as possible. Cook for about 12–18 minutes, depending on the size and whether the fish is whole or cut. Check the thickest flesh with a clean thermometer; it must reach 63°C. The flesh should also look opaque and separate easily from the bone. If needed, continue cooking in short intervals. Avoid stirring through the fish; move the pot gently instead.
Finish and serve Scatter the remaining scallions over the pot and taste the broth once more. Lift out one fish portion per bowl with a broad spoon, then add yuca, plantain, ñame, corn, pumpkin and plenty of broth. Offer lemon, suero costeño and white or coconut rice separately so diners can add them as they like.

Practical guidance

Practical

Full recipe heading

Momposino river-fish soup with yuca, plantain, yam and tender corn

Excerpt

This thick, generous sancocho follows a documented Mompox preparation built around bocachico, yuca, green and partly ripe plantain, ahuyama, ñame, tender corn and ají criollo. The root vegetables soften in a garlicky broth before the fish is gently simmered until just cooked.

Practical guidance

Ask the fish seller to clean the bocachico and confirm that each fish meets current local size rules. AUNAP guidance lists 25 cm measured whole as the minimum capture size. Choose fresh, traceable fish from a reputable source and keep it at or below 4°C until cooking. If the fish is sold whole, its many small bones are part of the eating experience; tell guests to eat carefully and help children remove bones. Cut the vegetables into similarly sized, generous pieces. Yuca and ñame need a head start; pumpkin and partly ripe plantain soften sooner, so they go in later. A steady simmer keeps them intact and makes it easier to cook the fish without breaking it apart. If your pot is too small for eight fish, cook in two pots or use large fish steaks while keeping one substantial portion per serving. The source recipe leaves water volume and exact timing to the cook. Start with enough water to cover the ingredients, then adjust the final broth to the consistency you prefer. For a thicker bowl, gently crush one or two pieces of yuca or pumpkin against the side of the pot and stir them into the broth before adding the fish. Do not blend the pot, which would break up the fish and plantain. Serve soon after the fish reaches 63°C. For leftovers, remove the fish bones carefully, transfer soup to shallow containers and refrigerate within 2 hours. Keep at or below 4°C and use within 3–4 days. Reheat until steaming throughout and at least 74°C; avoid repeatedly warming the same pot. Freeze portions without optional rice for best texture.

Allergens and food safety

Allergens: The soup contains fish. Optional suero costeño contains milk. Check packaged accompaniments and cross-contact information. Food safety: Keep raw fish at or below 4°C and separate from ready-to-eat food. Cook the thickest part of the bocachico to 63°C using a clean thermometer. Refrigerate leftovers in shallow containers within 2 hours, hold at or below 4°C for 3–4 days and reheat to 74°C. Watch for the fish’s fine bones when serving.

Final notes

At the table: Serve one fish portion with the vegetables and broth; offer lemon, suero, white rice or coconut rice separately. Texture: Give yuca, ñame, corn and green plantain a head start, then add pumpkin, partly ripe plantain and fish so each stays tender without falling apart.

Nutrition per serving

Serving size: one-eighth of the fish, vegetables and broth; optional rice and suero excluded
Energy: about 560 kcal
Carbohydrate: about 80 g
Protein: about 41 g
Fat: about 4 g
Fibre: about 10 g
Sodium: about 700 mg

Sancocho de bocachico from Santa Cruz de Mompox, Colombia

Ingredients

Fish and vegetables

To serve

Method

Practical

Full recipe heading

Excerpt

Practical guidance

Allergens and food safety

Final notes

Nutrition per serving

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