Spear Squid Causa

Chef: Rindō Kobayashi
In the manga: Chapter: 252
Cuisine and type: Peruvian, Causa

Spear Squid Causa is a dish made by Rindō Kobayashi against Takumi Aldini during the 3rd Card of the 4th Bout of the Rebels Vs. Central Régiment de Cuisine .

This dish consists of a fluffy squid hamburger that contains spear squid, egg whites, onions, lemon, mayonnaise, and soy sauce which is lightly fried. For the mashed potatoes on the outside that act like pressed sushi she used irish cobbler potatoes that was dyed with aji amarillo. But, for the layer underneath the hamburger instead of using tuna rindō used arapaima which has the similar texture as chicken tenderloin. With Rindō's expertise of rare ingredients, she has tamed the flavors of the wild and turned them into a single dish.

Real-world dishes

Real facts

Causa, in its basic form, is a mashed yellow potato dumpling mixed with key lime, onion, chili, and oil. Varieties can have avocado, chicken, tuna, or even shellfish added to the mixture. Also, causa is popular in Lima, where it is distinguished by the name Causa Limeña. Causa is usually served cold with hard boiled eggs and olives.
Aji Amarillo is a member of capsicum baccatum, one of the five domesticated pepper species, and is grown all over Peru. Aji means chili pepper and Amarillo means yellow in Spanish. This chili is 30,000 to 50,000 on the Scoville Heat unit scale and is considered part of the Peruvian "holy trinity" when it comes to their cuisine, along with garlic and red onion.
The arapaima, pirarucu, or paiche are any large species of bonytongue in the genus Arapaima native to the Amazon and Essequibo basins of South America. Genus Arapaima is the type genus of the family Arapaimidae. They are among the world's largest freshwater fish, reaching as much as 3 m (9.8 ft). They are an important food fish. They have declined in the native range due to overfishing and habitat loss. In contrast, arapaima have been introduced to several tropical regions outside the native range (within South America and elsewhere) where they are sometimes considered invasive species. Its local name, pirarucu, derives from the indigenous words for "pira" meaning "fish" and "urucum" meaning "red".
Arapaima produces boneless steaks and is considered a delicacy. In the Amazon region locals often salt and dry the meat, rolling it into a cigar-style package that is then tied and can be stored without rotting, which is important in a region with little refrigeration. Arapaimas are referred to as the "cod of the Amazon", and can be prepared in the same way as traditional salted cod.

Dish details from the Shokugeki no Sōma Wiki (CC BY-SA).

Recipe

Official manga recipe

Rindo Senpai Presents A Wild Causa

Difficulty
Total time: 1 h
Hands-on: 1 h
Cost: ¥¥¥¥
Servings: 4

Equipmentfrying pan, pot, food processor, blender, microwave

Tastespicy, tangy, crispy, light

Ingredients

4 potatoes
2 cans tuna
½ onion
1 avocado
1 tbsp lemon juice

[A]

1 tsp grated garlic
1 tbsp aji amarillo
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp olive oil

Garnish

Boiled egg, to taste
Black olives, to taste
French parsley, to taste
Mayonnaise, to taste

Squid Burgers

2 whole calamari
¼ onion
Olive oil, to taste

[B]

1 thumb of ginger
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 egg white
½ cup panko

Method

Let’s make the Squid Burgers first
1
Clean and dress the calamari. Dice the calamari and onion. Place in a food processor with the [A] ingredients and blend into a paste.
2
Form the paste into patties the same diameter as the mold you’re using.
3
Heat some olive oil in a frying pan and fry the patties until browned on both sides. Set them aside.
4
Peel and boil the potatoes or cook them in a microwave until they’re soft. Mash them and then dice the onion and avocado.
5
Mix the mashed potatoes and the [A] ingredients in a bowl until thoroughly combined. Season to taste with salt.
6
In a separate bowl, mix the tuna, lemon juice, onion, and avocado until combined.
7
Line a baking pan with cling wrap and place tall round molds in it. Spoon some of the mashed potatoes evenly in the bottom of the molds. Spoon some of tuna and avocado mixture evenly on top. Then place a squid burger on top. Finally, layer the top of the squid burger with more of the mashed potatoes and use a spoon to make the top even. Place in the fridge to chill for at least one hour. Once chilled through, pick up the cling wrap and flip the molds upside down to remove the causa.
8
Plate the causa rolls. Drizzle with mayonnaise and garnish with boiled eggs, black olives, and French parsley.

Tips

*NOTE: You need round molds for this recipe!