Bowl of Canary Island Bonita
(click to enlarge)

Tuna / Bonito Canary Island


Spain - Canary Islands   -   Bonito en Salmorejo

Serves:
Effort:
Sched:
DoAhead:  
4 w/rice
***
55 min
Yes
This dish is not for wimps - almost no chili heat but very intense flavors. In my opinion it is best with bonito, but if that fish is too intense for you, it can be made with mackerel or another fresh tuna.




2
1/2
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7
1
3
1
2
2
1
1
1/2
1/4
3/4
2
1/4
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ar

#
t
---
cl
t
oz
T
T
T
t
t
t
t
c
T
c
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Bonito fillet (1)  
Salt
-- Sauce
Garlic
Cumin seed
Roasted Pepper (2)
Thyme, fresh (3)
Oregano, fresh
Parsley, flat
Paprika, sweet (4)
Paprika, smoked (5)
Salt
Pepper
Wine, white
Sherry Vinegar (6)
Olive Oil, ExtV
--------
Oil (7)

Prep     -   (30 min (exclusive of cleaning fish)
  1. Cut BONITO into chunks about 1-1/2 inches on a slide. Sprinkle with Salt, tumble well and set aside.
  2. Crush GARLIC and chop fine. Grind Cumin. Chop Roasted Pepper and Herbs fine. Mix.
  3. Put All Sauce Items except Olive Oil in a food processor and run until very fine. With the processor running, drizzle in the Olive Oil until well incorporated.
Run   -   (25 min)
  1. Drain Bonito and pat dry with paper towels.
  2. In a well seasoned skillet heat Oil very hot and sear Bonito well on as many sides as you can. Do this in batches so the pan is not crowded and you can turn the pieces with tongs. Drain on paper towels.
  3. In a sauté pan mix together Bonito and Sauce. Bring to a boil and simmer for 4 to 5 minutes.
  4. Serve with plenty of steamed long grain rice or crusty bread.
NOTES:
  1. Bonito:

      Skipjack or Tongal. Some say to cut out the "blood line", the darker meat down the centerline, but if you do that you won't have much fish left - you'll need to start with 3 pounds. If the stronger flavor bothers you use mackerel or some other tuna, but not a really light tuna like albacore. For details see our Skipjack and Tongol pages..
  2. Roasted Red Pepper:

      Fire roasted red peppers from a jar are what you want here.
  3. Herbs:

      Use fresh herbs if at all possible, and flat leaf parsley, not curly. If you must use dried thyme and/or oregano use 1/4 the quantity given. The flavor will be different, but still good.
  4. Paprika:

      Please, real Spanish or Hungarian paprika, not the sawdust flavored stuff they sell in the supermarkets.
  5. Smoked Paprika

      This is a Spanish specialty and available from Spanish import emporiums. If you can't find it double the amount of sweet paprika.
  6. Sherry Vinegar:

      This "king of vinegars" is stronger than regular wine vinegars. If you don't have it, use white wine vinegar and just a little more of it.
  7. Oil:

      Use a high temperature frying oil, preferably Olive Pomace, Avocado or Peanut oil. See our notes on Cooking Oils.
  8. U.S. measure: t=teaspoon, T=Tablespoon, c=cup, qt=quart, oz=ounce, #=pound, cl=clove in=inch, ar=as required tt=to taste
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