Paila marina


Paila marina is a traditional Chilean seafood soup or light stew usually served in a paila. It usually contains a shellfish stock base cooked with different kinds of shellfish and fish. These are complemented with a variety of herbs and spices such as paprika and parsley.

Preparation

Onions, carrots, bell peppers, tomatoes, fish and shellfish are fried together, fish stock is poured over them and the soup is simmered.

Traditions

It is traditional for groups of friends or family to go to the local seafood market and enjoy a paila marina, especially the morning after a party, when it is believed to aid recovery from a hangover. On January 1, the historic seafood market Mercado Central de Santiago is one of the busiest places in Santiago; Chilean national newspaper La Nación reported that 28,000 people were expected to visit the market on January 1, 2010. Popular belief also ascribes aphrodisiac properties to paila marina.

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