THE TRAVELING ANCHOVY IN...
Canary Islands
Canarian cuisine is a reflection of the environment and the cultural identity of the islands. Its gastronomy combines native ingredients with African, Latin American, and Mediterranean influences, resulting in a flavorful cuisine deeply connected to the land.
Among its most iconic recipes, we find papas arrugás with mojo — a dish as simple as it is delicious, made with small boiled potatoes served with red or green mojo, a traditional local sauce made with garlic, oil, vinegar, and spices.
But the richness of Canarian cuisine goes far beyond that: fish sancocho, gofio, ropa vieja, rabbit in salmorejo, or gofio escaldón are other examples of this flavorful, historic, and authentic cooking tradition.
In this journey of the Traveling Anchovy, our chef Javier Ruiz wanted to pay tribute to the Canary Islands by reinterpreting the popular papas arrugás to create a very original recipe: Potato Bites with Red Mojo and Albacore Tuna.
A dish you can serve as an appetizer, snack, or tapa — capturing the essence of the archipelago and the Cantabrian Sea.
THE TRAVELING ANCHOVY IN...
Canary Islands
INGREDIENTS
To make this recipe you need:
- Pujadó Solano Albacore Tuna
- Small potatoes
- Red Mojo (you can buy or make it yourself)
INSTRUCTIONS
- Boil the potatoes in salted water until tender and the skin becomes wrinkled.
- Let them cool slightly so you can handle them without breaking.
- Carefully remove the skins and scoop out the insides using a small spoon, shaping little cylinders from the potatoes.
- Fill each potato with red mojo.
- Top each bite with thin slices of Albacore Tuna.
If you want to make homemade Canarian mojo, you’ll need:
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 teaspoon of whole cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon of sweet paprika (you can mix in a bit of hot paprika if you prefer it spicier)
- 1 small dried chili or a pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)
- 100 ml extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons of white wine vinegar
- Salt to taste
- 1 or 2 tablespoons of water
-
Preparation:
- Peel the garlic cloves and crush them with the cumin in a mortar until you get a smooth paste.
- Add the paprika (and chili or cayenne if using) and mix well.
- Slowly add the oil and vinegar while continuing to mix until the sauce emulsifies.
- Adjust the salt, and if the sauce is too thick, add a bit of water to thin the texture
