At first, I questioned the combination of fish and banana, but wow, was I wrong to second-guess that masterful combination. The fried bananas give the perfect element of sweetness to the fish, which has a very delicate and soft flavor. Although I don't prefer to pile on the farofa, I do think that having a layer of farofa gives a nice textural element to this dish. Personally, I added on a ton of lime juice, tomates, onion and rice. This dish isn't just delicious, it is also very community-driven. Since it is meant to be shared by a group, it is a very connecting experience to eat tambaqui.
The dish I tried was roasted, but you can also ask for it to be served fried or baked. There are a couple traditonal sides that accompany tambaqui, including farofa, banana frita, lime, rice and beans, onion and tomato, a finer version of farofa (more of a powder) and sauces. At some nicer restaurants, they carve the fish at your table.
Also, the entire fish is eaten. When I say the ENTIRE fish, I mean the whole thing. It shocked me when my friend's daughter dug out the eye of the fish, saying it was her favorite part. While I have yet to try the Tambaqui's eye, I will say that the meat of the Tambaqui's head is much more tender and slightly sweeter.
Tambaqui is a fish local to the Amazonas, specially to the Central Amazonas, where Manaus is located. It has a rich history in relation to Amazonian communities. Tambaqui is a principle dish in many rituals that include food. The fishing economy heavily relies on the tambaqui fish, as there is a large abundance in the Amazonas.
