THE TRAVELLING ANCHOVY IN...
Canary Islands
Canarian cuisine reflects the islands' environment and cultural identity. Its gastronomy combines autochthonous products with African, Latin American, and Mediterranean influences, resulting in a flavourful cuisine deeply rooted in the land.
Among its most emblematic recipes are papas arrugás with mojo, a dish as simple as it is delicious, made with small boiled potatoes served with red or green mojo, a typical local sauce based on garlic, oil, vinegar, and spices.
But the richness of Canarian cuisine goes much further: fish sancocho, gofio, ropa vieja, rabbit in salmorejo, or escaldón de gofio are other examples of this cuisine full of flavour, history, and authenticity.
In this journey of the travelling anchovy, our chef Javier Ruiz wanted to pay homage to the Canary Islands by reinterpreting the popular papas arrugás to create a very original recipe: Potato Bites, Red Mojo, and Bonito del Norte (Atlantic Bonito).
A dish that you can use as an appetizer, skewer, or tapa, and that condenses the essence of the archipelago and the Cantabrian Sea.
THE TRAVELLING ANCHOVY IN...
Canary Islands
INGREDIENTS
To make this recipe you need:
- Pujadó Solano Bonito del Norte (Atlantic Bonito)
- Small potatoes
- Red mojo (you can buy it or make it yourself)
PREPARATION
- Boil the potatoes in plenty of salted water until they are tender and their skin is wrinkled.
- Let them cool down so you can handle them without breaking them.
- Carefully remove the skin from the potatoes and hollow out their inside with the help of a small spoon, forming small potato cylinders.
- Fill the potato with red mojo.
- Finish each bite by placing slices of Bonito del Norte on top of the cylinder.
If you want to make homemade Canarian mojo, you will need:
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 1 teaspoon of cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon of sweet paprika (you can mix it with a little spicy paprika if you like it more intense)
- 1 small dried chili or a pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)
- 100 ml of extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons of white wine vinegar
- Salt to taste
- 1 or 2 tablespoons of water
Preparation:
- Peel the garlic and crush it with the cumin in a mortar until you get a fine paste.
- Add the paprika (and the chili or cayenne if you are using it), and mix well.
- Gradually add the oil and vinegar while continuing to mix until the sauce emulsifies.
- Adjust the salt and, if it is too thick, you can add a little water to lighten the texture.
