Pescado a la Chorrillana - Peru's Favorite Fish Dish

From my Cooking the World Series...

This menu is deeply rooted in coastal Peruvian home cooking, especially Lima and its seaside districts like Chorrillos, from which pescado a la chorrillana takes its name. The dish reflects Peru's criollo tradition: Spanish techniques layered with indigenous ingredients—most notably ají amarillo, Peru's iconic yellow chili. Fish is treated simply, while the tomato-onion sauce provides brightness and warmth rather than heaviness.

Papa a la huancaína comes from the Andean highlands and was popularized in Lima as a celebratory and social dish—cool, creamy, and meant to be shared. Pairing it with a light fish, fresh onion salad, and plain rice reflects a very Peruvian instinct for balance: hot and cool, rich and acidic, mountain and coast, all on one table. This is the kind of meal served when friends gather, conversation flows, and no single element overwhelms the others.

Ingredients

Pescado a la Chorrillana

• 2½–3 lb white fish fillets (rock cod, halibut, sea bass, or haddock)
• 1½ tsp kosher salt
• ½ tsp black pepper
• 2 cloves garlic, finely grated
• Zest of 1 lime
• 1½ tbsp olive oil

Chorrillana Sauce

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large red onion, sliced into thin half-moons
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp ají amarillo paste (mild-medium heat)
• 3 medium ripe tomatoes, chopped (or 1½ cups canned crushed tomatoes)
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1½ tbsp red wine vinegar or lime juice
• Salt to taste
• 2 tbsp chopped cilantro

Papa a la Huancaína

• 2½ lb Yukon Gold potatoes
• 6 oz queso fresco (or mild feta), crumbled
• ½ cup evaporated milk
• ¼ cup neutral oil (grapeseed or avocado)
• 3 tbsp ají amarillo paste
• 4 saltine crackers
• 1 clove garlic
• Salt to taste
• Optional garnish: sliced hard-boiled eggs, black olives

Ensalada Criolla

• 1 large red onion, very thinly sliced
• 2 Roma tomatoes, sliced or wedged
• Juice of 2 limes
• 1½ tbsp olive oil
• Salt to taste
• 2 tbsp chopped cilantro

Garlic White Rice

• 2 cups long-grain white rice
• 2 tbsp neutral oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 cups water
• 1 tsp salt

Recipes

Papa a la Huancaína (Make First)

1. Boil potatoes whole in salted water until tender. Cool slightly, peel, and slice into ½-inch rounds. Set aside.
2. In a blender, combine queso fresco, evaporated milk, oil, ají amarillo, crackers, garlic, and salt.
3. Blend until smooth but thick—it should slowly coat a spoon.
4. Cover and refrigerate. (Flavor improves as it rests.)

Garlic White Rice

1. Rinse rice until water runs mostly clear.
2. Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and sauté 30–45 seconds (no browning).
3. Add rice and stir to coat. Add water and salt.
4. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce to low, and cook 15 minutes.
5. Rest 5 minutes off heat, then fluff.

Ensalada Criolla

1. Soak sliced onions in cold salted water for 10 minutes; drain well.
2. Toss onions with tomatoes, lime juice, olive oil, salt, and cilantro.
3. Keep refrigerated until serving.

Pescado a la Chorrillana

1. Prepare fish: Heat oven to 425°F (broil if your oven allows gentle broiling). Season fish with salt, pepper, garlic, lime zest, and olive oil. Arrange on a lined baking sheet.
2. Bake or broil until just cooked and flaky, 8–12 minutes depending on thickness.
3. Meanwhile, make sauce: Heat olive oil in a wide skillet. Sauté red onion until soft and lightly caramelized (5–7 minutes). Add garlic and ají amarillo; cook 1 minute. Add tomatoes, cumin, vinegar/lime, and salt. Simmer 6–8 minutes until saucy but fresh. Finish with cilantro.
4. Spoon warm sauce over fish just before serving (do not bake fish in sauce).

Cooking Order (Stress-Free)

1. Boil potatoes → make huancaína sauce → refrigerate
2. Cook rice and keep covered
3. Make ensalada criolla (last 30 minutes)
4. Start chorrillana sauce
5. Bake/broil fish last (serve immediately)

Presentation & Serving (Very Peruvian)

Serve papa a la huancaína separately, arranged on lettuce leaves with eggs/olives if using. Plate fish with sauce spooned partially over the top—don't drown it. Rice in a simple bowl or mound (no garnish needed). Ensalada criolla in a shared bowl or small side plates. Lime wedges and extra ají amarillo on the table for customization. This keeps the plate elegant and avoids visual heaviness.

Combined Shopping List

Produce: 3 large red onions, 3 medium tomatoes, 2 Roma tomatoes, 1 bunch cilantro, 3–4 limes, 1 head garlic, 2½ lb Yukon Gold potatoes

Seafood: 2½–3 lb white fish fillets (cod, halibut, sea bass, haddock)

Dairy: 6 oz queso fresco (or mild feta), evaporated milk

Pantry: Ají amarillo paste, long-grain white rice, saltine crackers, olive oil, neutral oil (grapeseed/avocado), ground cumin, red wine vinegar, kosher salt, black pepper