Argentine Grilled Golden Fish

Dorado, known as the “tiger of the river” for its size and strength, is one of the most prized fish of Argentina’s Litoral region, found in the waters of the Paraná, Paraguay, and Uruguay rivers.

Grilling it is a regional classic that highlights the delicate flavor of its flesh, highly valued both in sport fishing and local cuisine.

Argentine Grilled Golden Fish

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• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour 50 minutes
• Yield: 6 servings
• Category: Main Course
• Cuisine: Argentine

Print Recipe

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Ingredients

• 1 of whole dorado, cleaned, scales left on (about 4.4 lb)
• to taste of salt
• to taste of pepper
• 2 of lemons, juiced
• 4 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 1 bunch of fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 of onion, sliced
• 1 of bell pepper, sliced
• 1 of tomato, sliced (optional)
• to taste of oil

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Instructions

1. Prepare the fish, clean the dorado well without removing the scales, and butterfly it open into two halves.
2. Season, salt and pepper it, and drizzle with lemon juice inside and out.
3. Fill, spread the chopped garlic and parsley over the entire surface, and add the sliced onion, bell pepper, and tomato.
4. Oil it, drizzle with oil both inside and outside the fish.
5. Cook, place the dorado on the grill over moderate heat, cooking slowly for 1 to 2 hours, keeping the temperature steady.
6. Check, confirm the flesh is cooked through and separates easily from the bone.
7. Serve, serve hot, straight off the grill.

Tips for getting it right

• Cooking with the scales on helps the fish retain its juiciness during the long cooking time.
• Keeping the heat moderate and steady is key to a slow, even cook.
• This same cooking method can be applied to other fish, such as corvina or hake.
• Checking that the flesh separates easily from the bone is the best way to confirm doneness.

Traditional variations

• Some recipes stuff the dorado with additional fresh herbs, such as thyme or oregano.
• It’s also baked or made into chupín (fish stew), as alternatives to grilling.

How to serve

Dorado a la parrilla is served hot, straight off the grill, as a main dish.

It’s a specialty of Argentina’s Litoral region, highly valued by both sport fishers and local cuisine.

Recommended sides

• Creole salad
• Roasted potatoes

Did you know?

Dorado is known as the “tiger of the river” for its size, strength, and for being a highly prized catch in sport fishing.

It lives in the tropical and subtropical waters of the Paraná, Paraguay, and Uruguay rivers, and is an emblem of Argentina’s Litoral region.