Name: Jalea mixta
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 70 min
Cuisine: Peruvian cuisine
Ingredients: 750 g peeled sweet cassava (yuca), central core removed; cut into thick chips; 2000 ml water, for boiling yuca; 400 g firm boneless white fish fillet, cut into 4 cm pieces; 220 g raw peeled prawns, deveined; patted dry; 220 g cleaned squid, rings; thoroughly dried; 140 g plain wheat flour, for coating; 60 g cornstarch, for coating; 6 g fine salt, 4 g seafood; 2 g salsa; 2 g ground black pepper; 900 ml neutral frying oil, for deep frying; approximately 110 g absorbed by full batch; 200 g red onion, thinly sliced; 70 ml fresh lime juice; 15 g ají limo, deseeded and finely sliced; 12 g fresh coriander leaves, chopped

Peruvian jalea mixta with fried yuca and salsa criolla

Yield 4 generous plates

Prep time 30 minutes

Cook time 40 minutes

Passive time 0 minutes

Total time 70 minutes

Ingredients ↓

Overview

Peruvian jalea mixta with fried yuca and salsa criolla

Jalea mixta belongs to Peru's coastal seafood repertoire. Its defining contrast is between fish and shellfish with a crisp fried exterior and a fresh, citrus-dressed onion accompaniment. The name points to a mixture: a plate of fish alone is not the same thing as a mixed jalea.

Yuca is more than a background garnish here. The tender boiled pieces are briefly fried so they have a crust that withstands the seafood above them. Using sweet cassava sold for cooking, removing the peel and cooking it thoroughly are essential preparation steps; frozen peeled yuca can be used only when labelled and handled according to its instructions.

For the seafood, the main technique is a dry surface, a fine starch-and-flour coating and small batches in hot oil. Wet squid spatters and dense coating turns doughy. Prepare the salsa separately and add it only when serving, so the lime does not soften the crust prematurely.

Ingredients

For yuca

750 g peeled sweet cassava (yuca), central core removed; cut into thick chips
2000 ml water, for boiling yuca

Seafood and coating

400 g firm boneless white fish fillet, cut into 4 cm pieces
220 g raw peeled prawns, deveined; patted dry
220 g cleaned squid, rings; thoroughly dried
140 g plain wheat flour, for coating
60 g cornstarch, for coating
6 g fine salt, 4 g seafood; 2 g salsa
2 g ground black pepper
900 ml neutral frying oil, for deep frying; approximately 110 g absorbed by full batch

Salsa criolla

200 g red onion, thinly sliced
70 ml fresh lime juice
15 g ají limo, deseeded and finely sliced
12 g fresh coriander leaves, chopped

Method

Boil the yuca.Put 750 g prepared sweet cassava into a large pot with 2000 ml water. Bring to a steady boil, then cook for 18 minutes until a knife slides through each thick piece without a hard centre. Drain thoroughly; discard the fibrous central core if still present. The cooked yuca is tender throughout, not glassy or hard in the middle. Use correctly identified sweet cassava; peel and cook it fully, never eat it raw.
Prepare the sharp salsa.Toss 200 g sliced red onion with 70 ml lime juice, 15 g chopped ají limo, 12 g coriander and 2 g of the salt in a clean bowl. Turn gently until the slices separate and are evenly dressed. The onion is loose and glossy, and the lime coats every slice.
Dry and season the seafood.Pat the 400 g fish, 220 g prawns and 220 g squid thoroughly dry. Sprinkle with 4 g salt and 2 g pepper; hold covered at 4 °C until the oil is ready. The pieces feel dry on the surface and carry a light, even seasoning. Prevent raw seafood from touching the ready-to-eat salsa.
Blend the crisp coating.Mix 140 g wheat flour and 60 g cornstarch in a wide bowl. Coat the seafood in manageable portions and shake off loose powder; avoid a thick, pasty layer. Every piece carries a thin, dry film rather than clumps of flour.
Fry the cassava chips.Heat the 900 ml oil in a deep heavy pan to 175 °C. Fry the drained yuca in two small batches for 4 minutes each, lifting out onto a rack between batches; allow the oil to return to 175 °C. The edges of the cassava are lightly crisp and its centre stays fluffy. Keep oil well below the pan rim and lower thoroughly drained cassava carefully.
Fry the fish.Fry the coated fish in two separate batches for 4 minutes each at approximately 175 °C, checking a thick piece reaches at least 63 °C at its centre. Lift to a rack; do not cover the crust. The fish coating is crisp and the flesh flakes under gentle pressure. Measure a thick fish piece to at least 63 °C.
Fry the squid and prawns.Fry the squid for about 3 minutes and the prawns for about 3 minutes in separate small batches at approximately 175 °C. Lift each batch promptly; do not keep seafood submerged once firm and opaque. The squid is springy rather than leathery, and prawns are firm, opaque and pearly. Cook all seafood thoroughly and avoid cross-contamination.
Assemble just before eating.Place the yuca on a warm platter, add the drained fried fish and shellfish, and pile the salsa criolla alongside rather than directly over the crust. The fried pieces stay crisp and the chilled onion supplies a fresh contrast.

Practical

Success points

Dry seafood carefully before flouring; excess moisture steams the crust. A frying thermometer helps the oil recover between several loads. Keep the lime-dressed onion off the fried pieces until the plate reaches the table.

Practical guidance

Serve immediately, with the onion salsa at the side for diners to add themselves. The two textures are important: fluffy yuca and a thin, brittle shell around the fish and shellfish. A deep rack works better than sealing the hot seafood under a lid. Prepare the onion and cut the cassava in advance, but leave the final coating and frying until shortly before the meal. Cooked cassava must be refrigerated promptly if made ahead, and the cold seafood should remain refrigerated between batches. Promptly refrigerate leftovers in shallow covered containers at 4 °C or below. Eat within 1–2 days; reheat thoroughly until steaming hot. The crust will soften after refrigeration and will not fully regain its original texture. A different firm white fish can replace the specified fillet without changing the mixed-fry principle, provided it is boneless and fully cooked. Substituting only fish for all shellfish would change the dish from a mixed seafood jalea to a fish-only preparation.

Control points

Soggy coatingThe seafood was wet or the pan was crowded. Dry it completely and fry less at a time.
Tough squidIt remained in the oil too long. Work in smaller loads and remove promptly once firm.

Nutrition per serving

Serving sizeone plate (about 420 g)
Calories810 kcal
Carbohydrates91 g
Protein43 g
Fat30 g
Fibre6 g
Sodium850 mg

Allergens and food safety

Fish, crustacean shellfish, molluscs, wheat (gluten); check packaged cornstarch and cross-contact. Use seafood stored at 4 °C or below; fish must reach 63 °C, and prawns and squid must be cooked through. Fully peel and cook yuca. Keep raw seafood away from the salsa, and refrigerate promptly.

Closing

Result: Assortment of crisp fried white fish and shellfish with cassava and fresh red-onion salsa.
Key control: Dry seafood carefully before flouring; excess moisture steams the crust.