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Ecuadorian

Encebollado

Non-vegetarian

Ecuador's coastal fish soup: tuna and cassava simmered in a tomato and cumin broth and topped with plenty of lime-pickled red onion and cilantro. Famous as a hangover breakfast.

Encebollado is an Ecuadorian soup, ready in about 1 hour 10 minutes and made with red onion, tuna and cassava. It serves 6 and is rated intermediate to cook.

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Prep
20 min
Cook
50 min
Total
1 h 10 min
Serves
6
Level
Intermediate
Calories
396

Ingredients

6 servings

Pickled onion

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Toss the sliced red onion (opens in a new tab) with the lime juice (opens in a new tab) and ½ tsp salt and leave to pickle while you make the soup.

    • 3 min

  2. Step 2

    Heat the oil with the achiote (opens in a new tab), then fry the onion (opens in a new tab), tomato (opens in a new tab), garlic (opens in a new tab), cumin (opens in a new tab), pepper and cilantro (opens in a new tab) stems until soft, about 8 minutes. Add the water and 1 tsp salt and bring to a boil.

    Onions frying golden in a pan
    How it looks · Photo: Magda Ehlers on Pexels

  3. Step 3

    Add the tuna (opens in a new tab) and poach for 10–12 minutes until cooked. Lift out, cool slightly and flake.

    • 12 min
    • medium-low heat

    Food safety: Cook the fish until opaque throughout.

  4. Step 4

    Add the cassava (opens in a new tab) to the broth and simmer until very tender, 20–25 minutes. Lift out about a third of the cassava and the vegetables, blend with a ladle of broth and stir back in to thicken.

    Food safety: Cassava must be fully cooked.

  5. Step 5

    Return the fish, season with the remaining salt and serve topped with a big handful of pickled onion (opens in a new tab) and cilantro (opens in a new tab) leaves, with chifles and ají on the side.

    • 3 min

About this dish

Origin
Ecuador · Well documentedClosely associated with Guayaquil and the coast.More food from Ecuador
Dish
Breakfast · Lunch · Soups · Main courses
Cooking method
Simmered, Boiled, Marinated / cured
Taste
savoury, sour, fresh, aromatic / warmly spiced
Diet
Pescatarian · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · High-protein
All labelsPescatarian · Non-vegetarian · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · High-protein · Low-fat · Calorie-conscious
Without the optional extras: No added sugarWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
One-pot
Cook more with
Red onion · Tuna · Cassava · Lime juice · Onion · Tomato
Techniques
Boiling · Simmering · Poaching · Marinating · Pickling

Allergens

  • Contains: Fishfrom tuna

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

396 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 721 g · recipe makes 6

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 32%
  • Carbohydrate 55%
  • Fat 13%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy396 kcal55 kcal
Protein31.6 g4.4 g
Carbohydrate54.2 g7.5 g
Net carbohydrate50.3 g7 g
Sugars6.7 g0.9 g
Added sugars0 g0 g
Fibre3.9 g0.5 g
Fat5.8 g0.8 g
Saturated fat——
Trans fat0 g0 g
Cholesterol46 mg6 mg
Sodium1057 mg147 mg
Salt equivalent2.6 g0.4 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
1117 mg
Calcium
90 mg
Iron
2 mg
Magnesium
89 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
61 µg
Vitamin C
50 mg
Vitamin D
2 µg
Vitamin B12
—
Folate (DFE)
—

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • Optional ingredients are not included: annatto (achiote) seeds / ground, chilli sauce (sriracha-style), plantain.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • The onion topping is the point of the dish — be generous.

Serve with

  • With chifles, toasted corn (tostado) or popcorn, and lime wedges.

Storage

  • Refrigerate soup (without the onion) for up to 2 days.

Reheating

  • Reheat gently until steaming; add fresh onion topping.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Built from the recipe’s own sections. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

  • Tomato, chopped3 piece · 360 g
  • Tuna, fresh albacore or yellowfin, in one piece700 g
  • Cassava, peeled, cored and chunked700 g
  • Plantain (optional)1 piece · 180 g
Used in steps 2, 3, 4, 5

Reviews & corrections

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