This traditional dish from Colima comes from the Pre-hispanic era. Jackal fish are langoustines from the river, and the name in Spanish chacales comes from the original word in náhuatl, chacallin. This recipe for Jackal Fish Soup is an original recipe from the book Senators that Cook («Las Senadoras suelen guisar») edited in 1964.
INGREDIENTES For Jackal Fish Soup
- 3 kilos of fresh jackal fish*
- 4 liters of broth from the fish
- 1 cup of tomato pure
- 1/4 onion chopped
- 2 bread rolls
- Chopped parsley, salt and pepper to taste
INSTRUCTIONS
Cleaning the jackals and discard organs from head. Boil 5 liters of water with 2 or 3 onion ends and lots of salt.
Add clean jacals to the boiling water. Boil for 20 minutes. Remove jackal fish from the water and allow to cool. Peel the fish and remove the pincers and thick legs. Grind the pincers and legs in a metate to make a paste. Add paste to sieve and incorporate the juice into the fish broth. Allow soup to thicken.
In a separate saucepan, melt butter and add the tomato sauce with a piece of onion. Add what was ground, letting it boil for a while. Season with pepper, salt and chopped parsley. Add the peeled fish.
Serve very hot, with slices of buttered bread and hot sauce to taste.
* Cambarellus is a genus of freshwater decapod crustaceans of the Astacidea infraorder known as cormorants, jackals, chacalines and river lobsters. The 17 known species belonging to this genus are endemic to America. They are found in Mexico and in the US states along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico.
Another delicacy from the state of Colima is the Chilayo that you will surely enjoy as much as this soup.
