About this Dish
A Chiloé Island feast of shellfish, meat, and potato bread cooked over hot stones.
History & Origin
Curanto is cooked in a pit lined with hot volcanic stones and covered in nalca leaves, an ancient Indigenous Huilliche technique still practiced on Chiloé Island today.
IngredientsServes 3
🦪Fresh clams or mussels, 1kg scrubbed clean
🦐Large prawns or langoustines, 500g
🍗Chicken thighs, 4 bone-in pieces
🌭Smoked pork sausage (longaniza), 300g sliced
🥩Pork ribs, 500g cut into portions
🥔Potatoes, 6 medium whole unpeeled
🌿Fresh milcao (potato bread): 4 large potatoes grated, 1 cup mashed potato, 1 tsp salt, mixed and shaped into flat cakes
🧅White onion, 2 large roughly chopped
🌿Fresh nalca or cabbage leaves, large handful to cover (use cabbage if nalca unavailable)
🧂Salt and black pepper, to season generously
Method
1
If cooking indoors, use your largest heavy-bottomed pot or stockpot. Layer the bottom with the onion and a splash of white wine or water — this creates the steam that cooks everything. Season the chicken pieces and pork ribs well with salt and pepper.2
Begin layering in this order: chicken thighs and pork ribs on the bottom, then sausage slices, then the whole unpeeled potatoes. Each layer should be seasoned as you go.3
Add the milcao potato cakes on top of the potatoes. To make these, squeeze excess moisture from the grated raw potato, mix with the mashed potato and salt, then form into palm-sized flat discs about 2cm thick.4
Pile the clams and mussels on top of everything, then lay the prawns over the shellfish. Cover the entire pot with the large cabbage or nalca leaves, tucking them down the sides to trap all the steam inside.5
Put the lid on tightly and cook over medium-high heat for 10 minutes until you hear vigorous steaming, then reduce to medium and cook for a further 35–40 minutes. Do not lift the lid during cooking — the trapped steam is essential.6
Check that the shellfish are all open, the chicken is cooked through, and the milcao cakes are golden and firm. Discard any shellfish that remain closed.7
Serve everything together on a large platter or directly from the pot at the table, with the cooking broth ladled into cups alongside — this smoky, briny liquid is considered a delicacy in Chiloé.User Reviews
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