994. Curaçao Delicacy: Guiambo ku Funchi

It’s green, snotty and slimy and makes everything around it green, snotty and slimy… Still, a true yu’i Kòrsou can’t resist Guiambo (pronounced ghee-Yam-bo) — our version of gumbo is thick, hearty soup… and puréed okra gives it its slippery consistency. Special thanks to the fabulous Stephanie Hasham for dedicating this post and recipe to ‘1000 Awesome Things about Curacao‘.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. of whole okra
• 1 lb. mahi mahi (dradu)
• 1/2 pound cooked shrimp shelled and deveigned
• can of oyster or fresh oysters
• Funchi (1 bag of yellow cornmeal Maizena or instant polenta)

NOTE: Tools Granite or ceramic Pot (using aluminium pots will cause discoloration as well as changes in flavor of the okra)

Step 1 (Create Fish Stock) Wash the fish then fill up a medium sized pot with water. Put your fish in there. Season to taste. (I used a little bit of salt, two cap-fulls of vinegar and some Old Bay seasoning) you can substitute the cap-fulls of vinegar with 1 glass of dry white wine and a pinch of bouillon.  Keep tasting it, you will know when you get it right :)! Let the fish stock boil on medium heat for about 45 – 60 mins.

Creating fish stock.

Step 2  (Okra) Wash, dry and cut the okra to size (see photo) and throw in empty granite pot.

Okra in pot.

Step 3 (remove fish from boiling water) Then pour hot fish stock over fresh okra in pot and start cooking okra. Let the okra simmer in low heat, stir occasionally.

Pour hot fish stock over okra.

MEANWHILE… – De-bone and remove skin from fish and break up into chunks. This will make for a less ominous Guiambo eating experience.

Deboning fish.

Yummy Mahi Mahi chunks.

Once the okra has softened a bit and the  stock has created the mucilaginous (slimy) consistency we all adore you can start adding your lovely morsels of seafood, half lb. of shrimp as well as oysters and oyster water (that came in can or packet) you can add a little hot water to reduce the sliminess to taste!

Add Mahi, Shrimp, Oysters.

Et Voila this will make enough Yummy Guiambo to serve 4-5 hearty bowls!

Funchi (Boil water) Add corn meal to boiling water little by little, stirring continuously with wooden spoon until you’ve reached desired consistency. In order to create the round cake shape, pour funchi into a plate and place another plate on top and let cool. Once the funchi has formed, slice into pie-shaped slices add to your bowl of Guiambo.

Slurp away… delicious!