Eat Them Before They Eat You

© Chef Ralph Pagano

Those teeth are sharp!

As I Peered into the blackness of the Rio Negro River and pulled my toe out of the water I found myself asking a question I never thought I'd ask: "Do you think there are any piranha in there?" Sure, I can cook anything that swims, and sometimes I just eat them raw, but I wasn't quite sure about facing off with a pack of the legendary piranha. I had to buck up-I was filming my adventure cooking television show "Pressure Cook" for the MOJO HD network. Piranha would be yet another first in my culinary adventures.

The Rio Negro River runs south by southwest through the Amazon watershed and eventually flows into the Amazon River itself. It is a dark-water river with high levels of acidity. The good news about the pH levels is that mosquitoes don't like the water-a relief, just in case my hepatitis A, yellow fever and malaria shots didn't work.The acidity also limits aquatic diversity to only 600 species of fish (as if that's not enough) The piranha has the potential to eat any of them. They also like reckless bipeds like myself.

One interesting fact about the Amazon and Rio Negro rivers is that they sustain a large amount of fish that were once saltwater species. Apparently the Amazon connected the Pacific and Atlantic oceans when Fred Flintstone carried a cane pole. The eruption of the Andes Mountains closed the gates on the Pacific, and all those fish were trapped in the rivers. Some evolved into freshwater species. Bull sharks, dolphins, catfish and even whales became part of the amazing Amazon.

Before I went fishing, I had the good fortune of walking around the spice market in the waterfront city of Manaus. I stumbled upon an incredible bounty. There are loads of typical jungle flavors in Manaus cuisine. Tapioca (made from a root called manioc), bananas, Brazilian nuts and pineapples abound, and there's a crazy apple called a babou, which has a custard type filling that you suck out after cutting it open. Its texture is that of creme brulee, and the flavor is like a sweet banana that ran into an apple pie. More awesome than the fruit was finding the pirarucu, one of the largest freshwater fish in the world. The pirarucu is a member of the bass family and can grow up to 10 feet long and a whopping 500 pounds. That's a pretty big fish. They're protected in other parts of Brazil, but are plentiful enough in the Amazon to be harvested by locals. 

Piranha fishing is not complicated. We motored to likely spots in a 14-foot rowboat with a 50-Horsepower outboard motor. Using nothing more than a hook, 40 feet of five-pound test and some bull's heart for bait, I landed 15 piranha in 10 minutes.

The black piranha can grow up to 16 pounds, and a pack of them can rip a man to shreds in as long as it takes to read this much of the article. The piranha attack only when they see you, smell you or are having a bad day. Generally, they travel in schools of hundreds, making it easy to catch lots of them in one spot. My outfitter and new buddy, Mike Kartwright, and I toasted my piranha success with a couple caipirinhas-a delicious drink made from muddled lime, sugar and Brazil's favorite liquor, cachaca. Mike told me of the "reproductive benefits" of the piranha soup I was planning to make, and that if "we had enough caprihinas we would see a pink dolphin walk on land." I didn't believe the second part, but the first part sounded logical enough.

I prepared many dishes while in Brazil, but I think the piranha soup was the most delicious, and it allowed me to take a bite out of a piranha. My concoction was inspired by the ingredients at the market. Local farmers grow spring onions, tiny white onions, hot red peppers, fresh cumin seed and limes. Piranha flesh is flaky and delicate, almost like a fluke. The soup was easy, quick, and done in one pot. If you make a side dish of coconut rice with corn and peas to accompany the soup, you'll be all set.

Don't forget to watch "Pressure Cook," a new adventure cooking series on the MOJO HD network. You can always go to their website (www.mojohd.com) to get recipes and let me know how the fish are biting. As always, fishing friends, keep your lines tight and your eye on the prize.

The Recipe

Piranha Soup 

(Yields 4 portions. Should you not be in the Amazon you can substitute black bass, snapper, corvina, tile, mahi mahi, barramundi or tilapia.)

Ingredients:

4 11/2- to 3-pound piranha, scaled and gutted, with as many vertical incisions in the
skin as possible.
2 tiny Spanish onions (they are sweeter)
2 diced carrots
2 bunches of scallions, chopped green and whites
3 tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
2 hot peppers, diced and seeded
4 steamed and peeled potatoes (use a Yukon gold or a russet)
8 ounces white wine
2 ounces soy sauce
1 teaspoon tumeric
1 teaspoon toasted ground cumin
1 bunch chopped tarragon

The Method

Cut fish into quarters, including the head, and sear in wide-based pot (a braising pan would be perfect).

Remove fish and add onions, scallions, carrots and garlic. Sauté until slightly tender.

Add tomatoes and white wine, reduce by half.

Add potatoes and soy sauce.

Add remaining ingredients (except tarragon), including fish.

Let simmer 20 minutes, season with salt and pepper, then add tarragon.

Check seasoning and serve in a bowl with the vegetables and the broth. Garnish with chopped tomato and scallion mixed with fresh lime juice and virgin olive oil.