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Roadside Stall · Fried Trout

Trucha Frita

Trucha Frita — street food from Mérida, Venezuela
📷 Closely related photo — Photo: Akizia / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

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 among the few places in the country cold enough for introduced trout, and the state is where the fish is most closely associated.
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Part of World of Street Food — 3443 dishes from 118 countries. Something wrong here? Tell us in the comments below. Photo credits.