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Fanesca

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  • Prep 8 hr 0 min
  • Total 10 hr 0 min
  • Ingredients 27
  • Servings 10
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For me, food represents a great connection to my childhood. For several years, I kept the memories of the traditional fanesca soup my mom made on Good Friday because when I tasted her recipe I felt like going back to my home in Guayaquil. Now that I'm a mom, I want my children to connect certain dishes to special occasions, so they can cherish the same type of great food memories that I have. Fanesca is delicious and goes well with the Lent season since each Friday we make a point in eating fish or seafood, instead of meat.
by Qué Rica Vida Comunidad
Updated Sep 11, 2015
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Ingredients

  • 2 lbs cod fish
  • 16 cups water
  • 2 medium sized onions
  • 2 tablespoons mashed garlic
  • 1 green pepper
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1 teaspoon achiote (paste or powder)
  • Salt and black pepper to taste
  • 1 can (15oz) white beans
  • 1 can (15oz) red beans
  • 1 can (15oz) pinto beans
  • 1 can (15oz) chickpeas
  • 1 can (15oz) pink beans
  • 1 can (15oz) black beans
  • 1 bag (14oz) pigeon peas
  • 1 lb broad beans (fresh or frozen)
  • 1 lb white corn (fresh or frozen)
  • 1 cube shrimp bouillon (or 1 teaspoon shrimp powder)
  • 1 cup chopped cilantro
  • 2 lbs squash
  • 1 cup milk
  • 3/4 cups creamy peanut butter
  • 1 cup palmitos (hearts of palm)

For decoration, if desired

  • Hard-boiled eggs, sliced
  • Chopped cilantro

Directions

  •  
    1
    The day before, rinse codfish to remove excess salt and let them soak in 8 cups of water (add more if needed to completely cover the codfish) inside the refrigerator for about 8 hours or overnight.
  •  
    2
    Finely chop onion, add to mashed garlic and pepper, place these ingredients in large pot to stir-fry at medium heat.
  •  
    3
    Add seasoning: powdered garlic, cumin, achiote, salt and pepper. Cook until onion starts to get transparent. That's called refrito.
  •  
    4
    Rinse all the beans well to remove all of the liquid they came with. Add them to refrito along with pigeon peas, broad beans and corn. Cover with 8 cups of water (add more if needed to cover completely); then add the shrimp bouillon and cilantro. Separate a couple handfuls of chopped cilantro for decoration if desired.
  •  
    5
    Let cook at medium heat for about 40 minutes or until the beans feel soft. Remove the codfish from water and rinse well.
  •  
    6
    In another large pot, add half of the cooked beans and the codfish (if needed add more water to cover it). Peel and cut squash into cubes; add it to the pot with the codfish and beans. Cook at medium heat for approximately 20 minutes or until codfish and squash are cooked.
  •  
    7
    When everything is soft and cooked, add half of the squash in a blender along with a cup of the liquid of the fanesca, milk and peanut butter. Blend until it becomes creamy.
  •  
    8
    Pour everything together in one pot. Add the peanut butter mixture from the blender and palmitos cut in medium chunks. Let it all boil together, for about half an hour more at medium heat, to let flavors blend.
  •  
    9
    Serve hot.

Expert Tips

  • tip 1
    You can use dry beans, but it will take longer since you'll have to let beans stand in water overnight and cook them longer.
  • tip 2
    If you want more of a fish flavor, you can add a can of tuna to the soup.
  • tip 3
    To serve this exquisite dish, decorate with egg slices and chopped cilantro. Usually it can be served with white rice as a side dish, since the soup has a lot of flavor. We like to eat it with sweet plantains because the sweet makes a great contrast with the flavor of the fanesca.
  • tip 4
    If you save some for next day in refrigerator and getting thick, this is normal. Just add a bit more water before you heat it, and enjoy.

Nutrition Information

No nutrition information available for this recipe

More About This Recipe

  • For me, food represents a great connection to my childhood. For several years, I kept the memories of the traditional fanesca soup my mom made on Good Friday because when I tasted her recipe I felt like going back to my home in Guayaquil. Now that I'm a mom, I want my children to connect certain dishes to special occasions, so they can cherish the same type of great food memories that I have. Fanesca is delicious and goes well with the Lent season since each Friday we make a point in eating fish or seafood, instead of meat.
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