Paiche

Paiche (“pye-chay”) is truly a living fósil, fossil.

In the wild, the giant river fish dates to the Jurassic Period and can weigh up to several hundred pounds and reach 7 to 8 feet in length. Beyond being giant (and, I think, very beautiful), paiche is unusual in that it can also breathe air through lunglike tissue, which helps the fish survive during droughts. Those shallow muddy waters of the Amazon and the fish’s large, lumbering size are also why it was considered unsalvageable from extinction as recently as twenty years ago. The fish became almost too easy for locals to hunt as their main protein source (you will still see paiche meat in various dried, shelf-stable forms at outdoor markets throughout the Amazon), and deforestation has unfortunately also destroyed the fish’s habitat.

But like the American buffalo, sustainable farming has helped to save the paiche. Amazone, a paiche farm nestled in the small city of Yurimaguas (a few winding, mountain jungle hours outside of Tarapoto), farm-raises the ancient fish in several dozen river-adjacent pools on their property. Because the fish have lungs, the water does not need to be changed often, making it more conservation friendly (the paiche there are also only grown to around 25 pounds). The white-fleshed meat is incredibly versatile, with a subtle flavor and flesh that holds together well when cooked yet is also very tender, and has very few bones, which is handy for the chef. Like poultry, paiche has both lighter and darker meat, which makes it fun for playing around in the kitchen (both types of meat are interchangeable in recipes). It works well in everything from fried dishes (see page 66) to lightly seared preparations (see page 120) or baked, and even as ceviche—not bad for a fish that’s been hanging out in the jungle for so long.