Amazonian Reserve Peru
Sourcing, Tradition
& Heritage
Two species. Two culinary traditions. One supply, built from scratch. The story behind Paiche and Doncella — where they come from, what they mean, and how they reach your kitchen.
Amazonian origins
Before they reach your kitchen, they carry centuries of history.
Paiche and Doncella are not commodity fish. They are deeply embedded in the culinary identity of the Peruvian and Brazilian Amazon — fished, eaten, and celebrated for generations across indigenous communities, river towns, and restaurant kitchens from Iquitos to São Paulo. What Atlantissea is building is the first legal, traceable, and consistent supply of both species for professional buyers outside South America.
Paiche · Pirarucu
The giant of the Amazon. Known by two names.
Arapaima gigas — called Paiche in Peru and Pirarucu in Brazil — is one of the largest freshwater fish in the world and one of the most culturally significant. Present across the Amazon Basin from the Peruvian jungle to the states of Pará, Amazonas, and Mato Grosso, it has fed riverside communities for centuries and shaped the culinary identity of an entire region.
In Brazil, Pirarucu is the centrepiece of preparations that define northern cuisine: caldeirada, moqueca, pirarucu de casaca, grelhado com tucupi. In Peru, it is the foundation of Amazonian river cooking — ceviche, patarashca, parihuela, anticuchos. Two countries. Two culinary traditions. The same fish.
Atlantissea is the exclusive international importer of Amazonian Reserve Peru — the first and only compliant supply of this species available to professional kitchens outside South America.
Amazon Basin — traditional Pirarucu harvest
Doncella · Surubim · Pintado
The most prized freshwater catfish in South America.
Pseudoplatystoma punctifer is known as Doncella in Peru, Surubim in the Pantanal and Cerrado, and Pintado in the river systems of Mato Grosso and southern Brazil. Across every name and every region, it occupies the same position: the finest freshwater catfish in South American cuisine, with bone-free white flesh, exceptional cooking stability, and a cultural identity recognised by the Slow Food Foundation in its Ark of Taste.
In Brazil, it anchors preparations from surubim na brasa — the benchmark of riverside churrasco — to moqueca de surubim, pintado ao molho de alcaparras, and cold-smoked preparations increasingly adopted by contemporary Brazilian chefs in the United States. In Peru, it is a cornerstone of Amazonian river cuisine from the Ucayali and Marañón river systems, fished and eaten across communities that have known its value for generations.
No importer has ever brought it to market in a compliant, traceable foodservice format. Atlantissea is building the first, launching 2027.
Peru, Amazon Basin
From the Amazon to your kitchen
Processed at source. Controlled at every step.
As the exclusive importer, Atlantissea operates with full access to the production site in Peru. Filleting, portioning, and packaging are carried out on-site under direct supervision. What leaves the Amazon is exactly what arrives in your kitchen.
Juveniles produced on site. Full control from birth. No wild capture, no external hatcheries. Traceability begins before the fish is one inch long.
Raised in controlled pond aquaculture in the Peruvian Amazon. Harvested to schedule, monitored for weight and condition at every stage.
On-site production under certified standards. Local teams trained to meet international food safety and processing requirements.
Whole fish broken down into fillets and chef-ready portions on-site. Skin-on and skin-off formats prepared to commercial specifications.
IQF frozen at −18°C. Individually vacuum-packed. Full traceability documentation from pond to pallet. Exported under US FDA and FSMA compliance.
Exclusive partnership
The exclusive international distributor
of Amazonian Reserve Peru.
Amazonian Reserve Peru is a certified producer, a brand, and a standard. It is the only producer in South America whose facilities, compliance framework, and cold chain infrastructure meet the requirements of the world's most demanding foodservice markets. Atlantissea holds the exclusive international distribution rights. The only way to source this brand outside South America is through us.
Ready to source
Two species. Available for the first time.
Paiche is available now. Doncella launches in 2027. Both are exclusive to Atlantissea. Talk to us about pricing, sampling, or a distribution program.