Roadside Stall · Fried Trout
Trucha Frita
Photo: Lucerito Corrales from Lima, Perú / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0
Trout aren't native to Venezuela at all — they were introduced into Mérida's cold Andean lakes and rivers in the 20th century, and the fish took to the mountain water so well it became the region's signature catch.
Whole trout is cleaned, seasoned with garlic and lime, and pan-fried whole until the skin crisps. Roadside stalls along Mérida's highland lakes and rivers sell it fresh off the pan with arepa or fried yuca.
Why it's made this way: Mérida's cold, high-altitude lakes and rivers, unusual for tropical Venezuela, are the only part of the country cold enough to sustain introduced trout populations, making the fish specifically a Mérida specialty.
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