Isla Chiloé Restaurants

Fishing is the main occupation in Chiloe so local people eat a lot (whether they like it or not..) In my case I am a fisheatingmaniac so I found big fish cut in slices is superb, and usually well cooked.I have even tried raw fish in a sour sauce served as a salad. Interesting !!

So here is a recipe of the Chiloe specialty.
CURANTO is usually a mixture of many kind of fish and meat, as shellfish, beef, pork, shrimps, lamb and chicken all in the same dish ! Amazing !
If you have time and the suitable space you can try to cook the authentic way..in the ground !!!

It's difficult to prepare as it involves a lot of ingredients in a surrealistic effort to load all sort of proteins coming from..land or ...water in big quantities and see what is going to happen...Chileans have no fear ..they are to used to it. For me it was a lethal weapon for my poor stomach. and the reward never came because the taste was not great! I will not ..commit it again...! But maybe meat maniacs are heavily disagreeing...!

Favorite Dish: CURANTO EN OLLA, ("Curanto"= "cooked" in a pan) 12 persons

INGREDIENTS
1 large stew pot
2kg clams
2 kg large mussels
2 kg small mussels
12 large potatoes
2 kg peas or beans
½ kilo longaniza (spicy sausage)
1 ½ kilo bacon
½ kilo of cheese
½ cup of water
½ cup of white wine
"Coles" leaves (suitable non-toxic leaves to separate the layers, cabbage would do)
onion cut into wedges
chapaleles and milcaos=balls of fried mashed potatoes mixed with a little pork meat coming from the most grisly parts (the tastier..).

PREPARATION
Place the scrubbed shellfish in the pot; add the water, wine and onion pieces. Next make a layer of cleaned potatoes with their skins intact, then pieces of meat and a small bowl of cheese. Cover with a layer of leaves upon which are placed the milcaos, then another layer of leaves for the Chapaleles and then a final covering of leaves. Seal the pot tightly and once boiling, simmer for an hour over a moderate heat.