Carimañolas: Traditional Colombian Stuffed Yuca Fritters
Carimañolas (also popularly known as Caribañolas or Fritos de Yuca) are an absolute icon of the Colombian Caribbean coast. These torpedo-shaped fritters substitute the traditional corn dough of an empanada with a smooth, rich cassava (yuca) dough, stuffed generously with a seasoned meat or cheese filling and fried to golden perfection!
The secret to this 1-hour and 15-minute recipe is the elasticity of the dough and the outer crispiness. By kneading a touch of flour and a whole egg into the boiled yuca puree, the dough becomes highly manageable and doesn’t break. Finally, brushing the assembled fritters with beaten egg whites right before hitting the hot oil creates an incredibly crispy, blistered shell!
Carimañolas (Stuffed Yuca Fritters)
The undisputed queen of Caribbean street food! A smooth, golden yuca dough stuffed with a rich, slow-cooked pork sofrito.
Ingredients
- 1/2 lb Yuca / Cassava Peeled and washed
- 1 lb Pork meat
- 1 Bulb onion Finely chopped
- 2 Large tomatoes Finely chopped
- 1 cup All-purpose flour Chef’s addition for dough elasticity
- 1 Whole egg Chef’s addition for dough elasticity
- 3 Egg whites Beaten, for the outer coating
- Cumin to taste
- Black pepper to taste
- Salt to taste
- Cooking oil For deep frying
Instructions
- Cook the Yuca: The very first step is to place the peeled and washed yuca in a pot with salted water. Boil it until it is completely soft and tender.
- Prepare the dough: Drain the soft yuca and grind or mash it thoroughly. Mix it with a pinch of salt and knead it. To this resulting mass, add the 1 cup of flour and the 1 whole egg. Knead vigorously until the dough acquires great elasticity and becomes fully manageable.
- Cook the pork: Finely chop the raw pork meat. Place it in a separate pot with a little water and salt, cooking it until it is completely tender.
- Make the filling (Guiso): In a pan, create a traditional sofrito using the finely chopped onion and tomatoes. Season with cumin, black pepper, and salt to taste. Add the pre-cooked pork to this sofrito and let it all simmer together over low heat for a few minutes.
- Shape and stuff: Take portions of the yuca dough (roughly the size of an egg). Using your fingers, press into the center of the dough ball to create a deep cavity. Pour a generous amount of the pork guiso into the hole, and use a little bit of extra dough to pinch and seal the opening completely, shaping it into its classic elongated torpedo form.
- Coat and fry: Briefly pass the assembled carimañolas through the beaten egg whites. Immediately drop them into a pot of plenty of hot cooking oil. Fry them until they are beautifully golden brown and crispy on all sides (bien doraditas). Serve hot!
Video
Notes
- Regional Names: While they are rulers of the coast under the name Carimañolas or Caribañolas, if you travel to the Andean region of Colombia, you will often find them sold under the name “Pastel de Yuca”. Internationally, similar versions are called croquetas de mandioca.
- A Festival Protagonist: Just like the papa rellena and the traditional empanada con huevo, the carimañola is one of the absolute main characters and highly contested categories at the annual “Festival del Frito de Cartagena de Indias.”
- Endless Variations: The pork filling is a classic, but this versatile yuca dough is heavily adapted depending on the specific town! They are widely stuffed with ground beef, shredded chicken, sausages, or simply a generous block of melting queso costeño.
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