Name: Majarisco tumbesino with green plantain and seafood
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 58 min
Total time: 83 min
Cuisine: Peruvian cuisine
Ingredients: 850 g green cooking plantains, peeled and cut into thick chunks; 1800 ml water, for boiling plantains; 3 g fine salt, for plantains; 350 g raw peeled shrimp, deveined, kept chilled; 250 g cleaned squid, cut into bite-size rings; 160 g red onion, diced; 220 g tomatoes, diced; 130 g red bell pepper, diced; 18 g garlic, minced; 60 g ají amarillo paste, plain; 35 g ají panca paste, plain; 250 ml unsalted fish stock, measured for sauce; 80 ml chicha de jora, fermented corn beverage, contains alcohol; 45 ml neutral vegetable oil, for sautéing; 4 g fine salt, for sauce; 2 g ground cumin, for sauce; 15 g fresh coriander leaves, chopped; 25 ml fresh lime juice, to finish

Majarisco tumbesino with green plantain and seafood

Yield 4 servings

Prep 25 minutes

Cook 58 minutes

Passive 0 minutes

Total 83 minutes

Ingredients ↓

Overview

Majarisco tumbesino with green plantain and seafood

Majarisco takes its character from the combination of starchy green plantain and seafood. In Tumbes, the plantain may be cooked and crushed, then mixed with or topped by a seafood sauce. Its firm texture gives the juices something to cling to without resembling a soft banana purée.

The aderezo starts with onion, garlic, ají amarillo and ají panca. Tomatoes contribute moisture, and a modest amount of chicha de jora, a fermented corn drink, adds a distinctive tang. This ingredient contains alcohol and should be named clearly rather than treated as ordinary stock.

Cook the plantain until it mashes easily but remains coarse. Shrimp and squid need careful timing and heat: overcooked seafood turns tough, while undercooking is unsafe. Fold the mashed plantain through the sauce only when the seafood has reached its proper temperature so the final dish stays moist rather than dry.

Ingredients

Green plantain

850 g green cooking plantains, peeled and cut into thick chunks
1800 ml water, for boiling plantains
3 g fine salt, for plantains

Seafood and aderezo

350 g raw peeled shrimp, deveined, kept chilled
250 g cleaned squid, cut into bite-size rings
160 g red onion, diced
220 g tomatoes, diced
130 g red bell pepper, diced
18 g garlic, minced
60 g ají amarillo paste, plain
35 g ají panca paste, plain
250 ml unsalted fish stock, measured for sauce
80 ml chicha de jora, fermented corn beverage, contains alcohol
45 ml neutral vegetable oil, for sautéing
4 g fine salt, for sauce
2 g ground cumin, for sauce
15 g fresh coriander leaves, chopped
25 ml fresh lime juice, to finish

Method

Cook the green plantain.Put the 850 g green plantain chunks in 1800 ml water with 3 g salt. Boil gently until a fork reaches the centre easily, then drain and keep warm. Time: 22 minutes. Readiness: The pieces are firm enough to lift but crush readily beneath a fork.
Mash roughly.Crush the hot drained plantain with a potato masher, leaving small coarse pieces rather than making a smooth purée. Time: 5 minutes. Readiness: The mixture is chunky and starchy, with visible small pieces.
Sweat the vegetables.Warm the 45 ml oil in a deep frying pan, then cook 160 g onion, 130 g bell pepper and 18 g garlic, stirring until softened. Time: 7 minutes. Readiness: The onion becomes translucent and the pepper yields slightly but has not collapsed.
Develop the ají sauce.Add 60 g ají amarillo paste, 35 g ají panca paste, 220 g tomatoes and 2 g cumin. Cook slowly, stirring, until thick and fragrant. Time: 8 minutes. Readiness: The sauce deepens in colour and no raw chilli-paste aroma remains.
Simmer the liquid.Pour in the 250 ml fish stock and 80 ml chicha de jora with 4 g salt. Simmer gently until the sauce is spoonable. Time: 8 minutes. Readiness: The liquid reduces enough to coat the back of a spoon while remaining loose.
Cook the seafood safely.Add 350 g shrimp and 250 g squid. Simmer only until the shrimp are firm and pearly and the seafood reaches at least 63 °C at its thickest point. Time: 5 minutes. Readiness: The shrimp are firm and the squid is opaque and yielding, not rubbery. Mandatory safe endpoint: 63 °C. Use a food thermometer and avoid mixing raw seafood utensils with finished food.
Fold, finish and serve.Fold the mashed plantain gently into the seafood sauce; stir in 15 g chopped coriander and 25 ml lime juice. Divide among four warm plates. Time: 3 minutes. Readiness: The plantain is evenly moistened yet still coarse, and the seafood pieces remain visible.

Practical

Serving and storage

Serve hot, with moist plantain and seafood distributed evenly rather than packed tightly. Keep seafood chilled before cooking. Refrigerate leftovers in shallow containers within 2 hours and consume within 2 days at 4 °C or below; heat through to 74 °C before eating.

Substitutions

Some Tumbes recipes fry the plantain before mashing; this makes a drier, richer base than boiling. Use fish stock in place of chicha only as a clearly named adaptation: it removes the fermented corn character and alcohol.

Control points

CheckPossible cause — If the plantain stays hard, it was not boiled long enough; cook longer before adding to the seafood.
CheckPossible cause — If seafood turns rubbery, the sauce was simmered with it too long; reduce the sauce first, then add seafood at the end.

Nutrition per serving

Serving size1 of 4 servings
Calories640 kcal
Carbohydrate82 g
Protein36 g
Fat18 g
Fibre9 g
Sodium960 mg

Allergens and food safety

Main allergens and dietary notices: crustaceans (shrimp); molluscs (squid); fish if using fish stock; verify stock label; contains alcohol from chicha de jora. Keep shrimp and squid chilled at or below 4 °C until cooking; cook to a verified minimum of 63 °C. Chicha de jora is a fermented drink containing alcohol; do not assume it is alcohol-free after simmering. Refrigerate perishables promptly and observe the specific storage and reheating guidance above.

Closing

On the plate: Green plantain is mashed and tossed with shrimp, squid and a concentrated northern Peruvian ají-and-tomato sauce.
The key control: Cook the plantain until it mashes easily but remains coarse.