Argentine Grilled River Fish

In Argentina’s Litoral region, river fish like pacú, sábalo, patí, and bagre (catfish) are part of the everyday recipe repertoire, eaten grilled, pan-seared, in fish stew, or breaded.

Pacú is one of the most versatile, with tender flesh and natural fat that keeps it from drying out, ideal for an even grill cook.

Argentine Grilled River Fish

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• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 25 minutes
• Total Time: 40 minutes
• Yield: 6 servings
• Category: Main Course
• Cuisine: Argentine

Print Recipe

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Ingredients

• 1.5 kg of pacú, sábalo, or bagre, in steaks or fillets (about 3.3 lb)
• to taste of salt
• to taste of pepper
• 2 of lemons, juiced
• to taste of oil
• to taste of fresh parsley, chopped (optional)

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Instructions

1. Prepare the fish, season the steaks or fillets with salt and pepper and drizzle with lemon juice.
2. Prepare the grill, let the grill be cold before placing the fish on it, to keep it from sticking.
3. Place the fish, put the steaks on the grill and move them back and forth in the first few minutes, so the fat doesn’t stick.
4. Cook, cook over moderate heat, letting one side brown evenly before flipping.
5. Flip, turn carefully so the flesh doesn’t break, and cook a few more minutes on the other side.
6. Check doneness, the flesh should be firm and opaque, not raw in the center.
7. Serve, serve hot, with an extra splash of lemon and chopped parsley.

Tips for getting it right

• Placing the fish on a cold, not hot, grill is key to keeping it from sticking.
• Moving the fish in the first few minutes helps the fat render without sticking to the grill.
• Pacú, thanks to its natural fat content, is one of the easiest fish to cook without it drying out.
• Sábalo should weigh between 3 and 4 kg for the best result: lighter ones have very fine bones, heavier ones too much fat.

Traditional variations

• Patí, no more than 2.5 kg, is also baked, cooked in papillote, fried, or steamed.
• Some families stuff sábalo with vegetables before grilling.

How to serve

Grilled river fish is served hot, freshly cooked, as a main dish.

It’s a fundamental part of Argentina’s Litoral cuisine, where river fish is a regional table staple.

Recommended sides

• Creole salad
• Roasted potatoes

Did you know?

In the Litoral region, river fish is eaten in many ways: grilled, pan-seared, in fish stew, in empanadas, breaded, and fried.

Pacú is considered one of the most versatile river fish, thanks to its natural fat that helps keep it juicy across different cooking methods.