Encebollado (Ecuadorian Tuna & Yuca Soup)

About This Recipe

Encebollado is Ecuador's most celebrated soup and its unofficial national dish — a deeply savory broth of albacore tuna and boiled yuca (cassava) seasoned with cumin, coriander and tomato, crowned with a tangle of pickled red onion rings and served with crispy chifles (plantain chips) for dipping. It is eaten for breakfast throughout coastal Ecuador, especially in Guayaquil, where cevicherías and market stalls open before sunrise to serve the dish to dock workers, fishermen and — crucially — to those recovering from the previous night's festivities. The broth is built on a refrito (Ecuadorian sofrito) of tomato, onion, garlic, cumin and coriander cooked in oil until deeply fragrant, then extended with water and fish or vegetable stock. Albacore tuna — either fresh or canned in its cooking liquid — is the traditional protein; its meaty flakes hold together in the broth without disintegrating. Yuca rounds provide starchy body and a satisfying chew that makes encebollado genuinely filling as a morning meal. The finishing touch — the element that gives the dish its name (encebollado means 'with onion') — is a quick pickle of thinly sliced red onion in lemon juice, cilantro and ají amarillo that is piled on top at the moment of serving. The contrast of the warm, savory soup with the cold, acidic onion is the essential tension that makes encebollado one of the great morning dishes of the Americas.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 500 gfresh albacore tuna(or 2 cans (400g each) albacore in water, drained)
• 600 gyuca (cassava)(peeled, woody core removed, cut into 3 cm chunks)
• 3 tbspvegetable oil
• 1 largewhite onion(diced)
• 4 clovesgarlic(minced)
• 3 mediumripe tomatoes(diced)
• 2 tspground cumin
• 1 tspground coriander
• 0.5 tspturmeric(for color)
• 1.5 litreswater or light fish stock
• 1 tspsalt(plus more to taste)
• 1 bunchfresh cilantro(stems for the broth, leaves for garnish)
• 2 largered onions(very thinly sliced into rings)
• 0.5 cupfresh lemon juice(for the pickled onion)
• 1ají amarillo or mild chile(minced, for the onion pickle)
• 2 cupschifles (fried plantain chips)(for serving)

Instructions

1. 1

   Pickle the onion

   Toss red onion rings with lemon juice, minced chile, a pinch of salt and a handful of cilantro leaves. Let macerate at room temperature at least 20 minutes — the onion will soften and turn pink.

   The longer the onion pickles, the milder and more fragrant it becomes. You can prepare it the night before.

2. 2

   Build the refrito

   Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Cook diced white onion 8 minutes until soft. Add garlic, cook 2 minutes. Add diced tomato, cumin, coriander and turmeric. Cook 8 minutes until the tomato breaks down into a thick, fragrant paste.

3. 3

   Add stock and yuca

   Pour in water or stock. Add cilantro stems and salt. Bring to a boil. Add yuca chunks. Simmer 20–25 minutes until yuca is completely tender and beginning to break down slightly at the edges.

4. 4

   Cook the tuna

   If using fresh tuna, add to the simmering broth and cook 8–10 minutes until opaque and easy to flake. Remove and flake into large chunks. If using canned tuna, simply add the drained flakes to the hot broth off the heat.

5. 5

   Finish the broth

   Return flaked tuna to the pot. Taste and adjust salt. Add cilantro leaves and let them wilt 1 minute.

6. 6

   Serve

   Ladle into deep bowls, ensuring each bowl has yuca and tuna. Top with a generous tangle of pickled red onion. Serve immediately with chifles on the side for dipping.

Variations

• •

  Encebollado de pescado: use any firm white fish (corvina, tilapia) instead of tuna.

• •

  Add a boiled egg half to each bowl — common in Guayaquil market versions.

Storage

Store broth and yuca refrigerated up to 3 days; the pickled onion keeps up to 1 week refrigerated. Reheat soup gently on the stovetop, adding tuna at the last moment.

Frequently Asked Questions