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Home » Ecuadorian main meals

Ecuadorian main meals

Ecuadorian main meals, especially at lunch or almuerzo time, usually consist of meat, poultry or seafood with side dishes of rice and/or potatoes, a small salad, plantains (ripe or green), and some hot sauce on the side. Main meals in Ecuador vary depending on the region; you will find a lot of seafood and plantain dishes in the coastal cities and more beef, pork and chicken main dishes in the highlands of Ecuador. This doesn’t mean that you won’t find seafood in Cuenca or meat stews in Manta, it just means that there are a lot of specialty traditional dishes in each region, but you can find the most traditional Ecuadorian main dishes anywhere in the country.
Arroz con camarones: Classic South American dish from the coastal areas consisting of rice cooked in a shrimp broth and mixed with shrimp, sautéed onions, peppers, tomatoes, garlic, cumin, achiote and parsley.

Rice with shrimp or arroz con camarones

Arroz con chorizo y camarones: Arroz con chorizo y camarones is a dish of rice with chorizo cooked in seafood broth with shrimp, onions, peppers, garlic, tomatoes, and parsley.

Arroz con huevo: The typical lazy (student) lunch in Ecuador consists rice with fried egg, you can add some fried plantains and avocado salad

Arroz con pollo: Arroz con pollo is a delicious Ecuadorian dish of chicken and rice cooked with onions, tomatoes, peppers, celery, garlic, achiote, cumin, cilantro, among other ingredients.

Arroz Marinero: Arroz marinero or seafood rice is a South American dish similar to Spanish paella, that is made with rice cooked in seafood broth and sautéed with shrimp, clams, squid, bay scallops, onions, garlic, bell pepper, cilantro and spices.

Arroz marinero or rice with seafood

Carne colorada: Ecuadorian stove top braised beef marinated in beer, garlic, onion, achiote, cumin and oregano

Ecuadorian carne colorada

Chaulafan de pollo: Chaulafan de pollo is an Ecuadorian chicken fried rice made with rice, chicken, bacon, onions, garlic, peppers, bell peppers, peas, carrots, scrambled eggs, raisins, spices and herbs.

Chaulafan de pollo

Ecuadorian churrasco: Ecuadorian churrasco consists of a grilled or sometimes fried steak topped with a crispy fried egg served with rice, French fries, ripe plantains, a small salad, avocado slices and hot sauce.

Ecuadorian churrasco

Encocado de pescado: Pescado encocado is a coastal dish of fish seasoned with citrus and spices and then cooked in a sauce of cilantro, onions, tomatoes, bell peppers and coconut milk.

Fish in coconut sauce {Encocado}

Fritada de chancho: Ecuadorian braised pork dish cooked slowly in orange juice with onion, shallot, garlic and cumin

Ecuadorian pork fritada

Fritada de gallina: A delicious and tender chicken dish prepared by cooking chicken in a sauce made with chicha or fermented corn drink, garlic, onion and cumin until the liquid is gone and the chicken is golden brown.

Guatita: Guatita is an Ecuadorian tripe stew in a potato peanut sauce

Guatita tripe stew

Hornado de chancho: Ecuadorian recipe for roasted pork leg marinated with garlic and beer

Roasted pork leg or hornado de chancho ecuatoriano

Menestra de lentejas: Lentil stew simmered with onion, pepper, tomato, garlic, cumin, and cilantro, and served with rice and thin grilled steaks

Ecuadorian lentil stew with rice {menestra de lentejas}

Menestra de porotos: Menestra de porotos is an Ecuadorian bean stew, made with beans simmered in a sauce of onions, tomatoes, garlic, cumin, chili powder and cilantro or parsley.

Ecuadorian bean menestra

Pernil lojano: Pernil is a roasted pork loin dish where the pork is marinated in a sauce of bitter orange juice, onion, garlic, achiote, cloves, cinnamon, cumin and panela and slow roasted in the oven for several hours.

Pescado a la parrilla con salsa de mariscos: Grilled fish topped with a seafood sauce made with shrimp, calamari, scallops, garlic, onion, white wine and cream.

Quinua marinera: Quinoa cooked in seafood broth and sautéed with shrimp, clams, squid, bay scallops, onions, garlic, bell pepper, cilantro and spices.

Seco de borrego: Seco de borrego is an Ecuadorian lamb stew cooked slowly in sauce of beer, wine, garlic, cumin, achiote, oregano, peppers, onions, cilantro, parsley, tomatoes, and other spices.

Seco de carne con tamarindo: Seco de carne con tamarindo is a beef tamarind stew simmered in sauce of tamarind, beer, garlic, cumin, achiote, peppers, onions, cilantro or parsley, tomatoes, and other spices.

Seco de chivo: Seco de chivo is an Ecuadorian goat stew braised in a sauce of garlic, cumin, achiote, oregano, peppers, onions, cilantro, tomatoes, chicha or fermented corn drink, naranjilla or lulo juice, panela and spices.

Seco de chivo

Seco de pollo: Ecuadorian style chicken stew cooked slowly in a sauce of beer, onions, garlic, peppers, tomatoes, herbs and spices.

 

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Helena McConnelly says

    July 23, 2020 at 3:21 am

    Studying Ecuador at the moment would like some Ecuadorian recipes to complement my project!!!!! Many thanks

    Reply
  2. Mar Peña says

    May 18, 2020 at 5:23 pm

    My daughter is half Ecuadorian and I want to learn to cook and teach her some Ecuadorian dishes! ! This is a great start. Thank you!

    Reply
  3. Monica says

    April 5, 2019 at 6:59 pm

    I just made your seco de pollo and my boyfriend (from Guayaquil) loved it. I look forward to trying more of your recipes, thanks!

    Reply
  4. Grace says

    November 20, 2018 at 5:50 pm

    Thank you, recipe for Pristinios :)

    Reply
  5. Martha Mariche says

    February 18, 2015 at 11:52 am

    My family loved the chipotle glazed ham. Delicious. Thank you for sharing your recepies.

    Reply
  6. Mike says

    January 18, 2015 at 12:53 pm

    I live in coastal Ecuador, Salinas, and appreciate all these recipes. I’ve tasted almost every one of these foods, and now can make any one I want. Favorites, way to many to mention. But ceviche is near the top, hornado de chancho, arroz con camarones, llapingachos, pan de yucca, seco de pollo, encebollada, cazuela, are only a small few of the many more. So many good fish, shrimp, crabs, langesitino. (I know I misspelled it) Anyway, thanks so much!

    Reply
  7. Angele says

    April 2, 2014 at 6:20 am

    I made your seco de chivo…delicious!!!! Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful recipes and beautiful photos. I can’t wait to try your chimichurri roasted chicken next…

    Reply
    • Alina says

      June 1, 2020 at 2:37 pm

      I came to your website “by mistake” but am so glad I did! I was born in Guayaquil and although I was raised in California, I spent many summers there and seeing this food makes me so happy. It’s like home to me. Any chance you will have a recipe for llapingacho? BTW, I am mostly vegetarian at this point and actually found and cooked a recipe for guatita using hominy instead of tripe…it was delicious!

      Reply
      • Layla Pujol says

        June 1, 2020 at 8:54 pm

        Hi Alina – My mom used to make guatita using tempeh and it was one of the only ways I would eat tempeh. I have a recipe for llapingachos here: https://www.laylita.com/recipes/llapingachos-or-stuffed-potato-patties/ and variation with sweet potatoes: https://www.laylita.com/recipes/sweet-potato-patties-stuffed-with-cheese/

        Reply
        • Alina Cruz says

          June 3, 2020 at 10:24 am

          Awesome! Thanks so much :)

          Reply

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Welcome

 Layla Pujol is an Ecuadorian modern-day nomad who loves to cook and travel. She currently lives in Europe, previously in the US, and is currently working on her first cookbook, which will focus on delicious Ecuadorian and Latin recipes (adapted to her style). More

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Ecuadorian Recipes

  • Pan de yuca or cassava cheese bread

    Pan de yuca or cassava cheese bread

    Pan de yuca, also known as cheese bread or yuca bread, are yummy melt in your mouth warm breads made with cheese and yuca or …
  • Chaulafan de pollo {Ecuadorian chicken fried rice}

    Chaulafan de pollo {Ecuadorian chicken fried rice}

    Chaulafan de pollo is an Ecuadorian chicken fried rice made with rice, chicken, bacon, onions, garlic, peppers, bell peppers, peas, carrots, scrambled eggs, raisins, spices …
  • Humitas or steamed fresh corn cakes

    Humitas or steamed fresh corn cakes

    Humitas are savory steamed fresh corn cakes made from a mixture of freshly ground corn, onion, garlic, cheese, eggs, and cream, which is placed inside …

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