Ecuadorian Encebollado (Tuna and Yuca Soup)

Encebollado is the pride of Ecuador’s coast, especially Guayaquil, where people line up for a steaming bowl early in the morning. Chunks of albacore tuna and soft yuca simmer in a light tomato broth seasoned with cumin, then everything gets piled high with lime-pickled red onion and cilantro. Serve it with chifles (plantain chips), popcorn and extra lime, just like in Ecuador.

• Servings: 6
• Prep time: 20 minutes
• Cook time: 50 minutes
• Total time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Ingredients

For the soup

• 1 1/2 lb (680 g) fresh albacore tuna, or 3 cans (5 oz each) solid tuna, drained
• 2 lb (900 g) yuca, peeled and cut into large chunks (frozen works well)
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 red onion, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 3 ripe tomatoes, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon achiote (annatto) powder or paprika
• 1 small bunch cilantro, stems and leaves separated
• 10 cups (2.4 L) water
• Salt and black pepper

For the pickled onion topping

• 2 red onions, very thinly sliced
• 2 tomatoes, thinly sliced (optional)
• Juice of 4 limes
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Chopped cilantro

To serve

• Chifles (plantain chips), popcorn, lime wedges and ají (hot sauce)

Instructions

1. Pickle the onion. Rinse the sliced onion in cold salted water, drain, then mix with the lime juice, salt, tomato and cilantro. Set aside while you make the soup.
2. Cook the fish. If using fresh tuna, simmer it in the water with the cilantro stems, half the cumin and a pinch of salt for 15 minutes. Lift out the fish, flake it into large pieces and strain the broth.
3. Make the refrito. In a large pot, heat the oil and cook the onion, bell pepper and garlic for 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, the rest of the cumin and the achiote and cook until soft, about 8 minutes.
4. Cook the yuca. Add the broth (or plain water if using canned tuna) and the yuca. Simmer 25 to 30 minutes, until the yuca is very tender. Remove a few chunks, mash them and stir them back in to thicken the soup.
5. Add the tuna. Return the flaked tuna (or add the canned tuna) and simmer 5 more minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
6. Serve. Ladle into bowls and top generously with the pickled onion and cilantro. Serve with chifles, popcorn, lime and ají.

Tips

• Remove the yuca’s woody center. Cooked yuca has a fibrous string in the middle that is easy to pull out.
• Don’t skip the onion topping. It is what gives encebollado its name and its bright, tangy flavor.
• Make it ahead. The soup tastes even better the next day. Keep the onion topping separate until serving.

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