Bacalao a la Llauna: easy and delicious salt cod

I love this dish at restaurants and assumed it would be difficult to make at home -- wrong! It's quick and easy, and doesn't require exotic ingredients. Except, that is, for the bacalao (salt cod), more below. You only need a few pantry staples, and it comes together in under 30 minutes. The paprika-infused oil on the top of the slightly crusty fish provides an intriguing,, almost smoky complement.

125 g each Bacalao, white beans, seared leeks

I didn't realize until I started looking for recipes that this dish is a Catalan speciality -- I assumed it was available all over Spain. "La Llauna" is the flat metal tray used for baking, here for bacalao, but we've also had snails cooked and served in them: they're cheap and versatile.

In Barcelona, the markets have specialists like Perelló who sell this dehydrated or already soaked and hydrated for you, and I now get their hydrated version to save time; I would not use frozen cod because the amount of water loss during thawing results in a tough piece of fish . Get a boneless cut. It's worth paying more for the thick cuts like loin, rather than thinner filets: it provides better texture and cooks more evenly. As I've written elsewhere, if you get the dehydrated version, rinse it well to remove excess salt, then hydrate over about 3 days, changing the water a couple times a day -- don't go too far or it will be a bit dull, you want a bit of salt, texture, and funk that you won't find in fresh cod.

Basically, you sauté the Bacalao and finish in the oven, topped with a simple sauce of oil, garlic, pimenton, and wine. You can skip my recipe and head straight to Spain On A Fork: he does a great job combining it with traditional white beans in the final baking; he even has a video. Spain in a Pan is very similar, and suggests you can use fresh cod. Cod vendor Bacalao.com mentions that traditionally the flour isn't used but is optional; I think it improves the surface texture. Spanish blog El Forner de Alella is similar to the others (with a helpful video), if you don't trust the English ones. I like the White Beans with this, but you can omit them if you don't like or don't have them. 

This serves 2. Measurements don't need to be exact.

 10 ml    1 Tbs   Extra Virgin Olive Oil (for filming the tray)

300 g    10 oz    Bacalao loins 3-4cm thick, hydrated

 40 ml    2 Tbs   Extra Virgin Olive Oil (for sautéing the Bacalao)

200 g     7 oz    White Beans (in a jar; drained and rinsed)

  4 cloves        Garlic, sliced thinly

  1 g     1 tsp   Pimenton Dulce ("sweet" paprika, not picante)

 10 g     2 Tbs   Flour, for dusting

                  Black Pepper

                  Salt, if the Bacalao is a bit mild

 60 ml  1/4 C     White Wine

                  Parsley, chopped fine (for garnish)

All the ingredients except the Pimenton

Spread the 10 ml Olive Oil in a heat proof tray or casserole (llauna).

If using, drain the White Beans, rinse, and shake off the water, and add to the tray in a single layer.

Cut the Bacalao into two pieces for serving; pat them dry with paper towels.

Mix the Pepper (and Salt if needed) with the Flour.

Lightly dredge the Bacalao in the Flour, coat thoroughly, shake off extra.

Preheat the oven to 200c / 400f with heat from top and bottom if you can.

Heat a large skillet over medium with the 40 ml Olive Oil.

Add the Bacalao to the skillet with the Oil, skin side up.

Sauté 3-4 minutes per side, depending on thickness: you want to develop a light golden crust but you'll finish cooking it through in the oven.

Remove the Bacalao to the tray on top of the optional Beans, skin side down.

There should be a thin film of Oil left in the skillet, remove some if it's too much.

Lower the heat of the skillet and sauté the garlic, stirring often, until fragrant.

Remove from heat and add the Pimenton Dulce and stir quickly -- it becomes acrid if it burns so don't expose it to too much heat.

Add the White Wine and return to the heat for a few minutes to drive off the alcohol and concentrate, then drizzle over the Bacalao in the tray.

Bake the Bacalao in the tray 5 minutes or until barely cooked through; don't overcook it or it will dry out; it should flake into large moist chunks.

Plate each cut of Bacalao with the optional Beans.

Garnish with Parsley.

I cooked the Parsley with the sauce but it muddies the appearance; garnish next time

Atún encebollado: tuna with caramelized onions

This is a dish from Cádiz where the ancient Almadraba red tuna harvest takes place. It's easy to make, but has a rewarding flavor from rich ingredients. I like mine a little saucy, not soupy, juicy, not dry. It's frequently served with bread to sop up any remaining juices.  It may seem like a lot of Onions, but they'll cook down significantly, and it is the name of the dish.

Tasty, if not very photogenic

Some recipes cook the tuna as steaks and top with the onions, but I prefer chunks of tuna that give more opportunity to grab some onions. Most don't marinade nor sear the Tuna, but I think it gives more flavor than cooking it naked in the onions.

Look for red tuna (átun rojo) -- the traditional tuna from the Almadraba -- but yellowtail can be used if that's not available. Don't use the Ventresca cut, it's fat is too luxurious.

Serves 2, measurements are flexible

300 g       Tuna, fresh, cut into steaks
            Olive Oil, extra virgin
            Salt

            Pimenton
500 g       Onion, large, sliced into strips [4-5 whole onions]
  2 cloves  Garlic, sliced thin
  2 whole   Bay Leaf
            Oregano
 50 ml      Sherry
  5 g       Pimenton picante (spicy) or dulce (sweet) [1/2 Tbs]
            Parsley, minced, for garnish

Marinade the Tuna steaks with Salt, a dusting of Pimenton, and a good slather with Oil;  and let them marinade a while longer -- over night is OK.

Sear Tuna hot and fast, very briefly, to develop flavor and texture; you don't want to cook it because you'll finish it later in the onions and don't want it to dry out. Remove, and cut into bite-sized pieces while the onions cook.

Slice the onions into strips and sauté in Olive Oil with the Garlic until very soft and golden brown; this will take half an hour or more. It goes faster if you cover it, but remove the cover if it's too wet. Stir occasionally. Add Pimenton and stir to cook briefly. 

Add the reserved Tuna back to the Onions and stir in gently. Add the Sherry to deglaze and combine. Adjust Salt, Pepper, and Pimenton. Cook just a few minutes until the Tuna is barely cooked through -- do not overcook the Tuna or it will become dry. If the Onion mass is a bit dry and matted, loosen with a bit of Water.

Transfer to a warm serving dish, garnish with Parsley and serve.

This is frequently served with bread to sop up any remaining juices, or roasted potatoes or rice. You could add a fresh salad with tomatoes and roasted bell peppers. 

A dry white wine or Fino Sherry would go well, but it stands up to a full-bodied red wine too.

Needs some parsley 

Rossejat de Fideus

Rossejat means "roasted" in Catalan, here referring to rice or noodles which have been browned in oil before cooking. We're using short noodles here: "fideus" in Catalan or "fideos" in Spanish. Taste Atlas describes it succinctly: 

Rossejat de fideos is a seafood dish consisting of thin noodles toasted in olive oil, cooked in fish broth with cuttlefish, prawns, or shrimp, and typically served straight from the pan with allioli. It belongs to the same family of seafood-and-pasta preparations as fideuà but has its own character and place at the table.

In turn, fideuà is basically a paella made with short pasta instead of rice. I've written about it it before, with varying degrees of fidelity: Ravalistan, all’Assassina, and Casual. 

This Rossejat is less complex, coming together quickly, especially with thin noodles. It's surprisingly tasty for such simple ingredients.

Note how the short noodles have stood up vertically

This recipe is based on one from Spain on a Fork which has a helpful video. I prefer the thin "angel hair" noodles to the spaghetti-thick fideus; my package indicates they take only 2-4 minutes to cook, rather than 6-12 for thicker ones. I've added some Choricero pepper to the base to enrich the flavor, and topped with sautéed Squid for our dinner. Use a flavorful fish stock; Irene made a richly flavored one I used here. I prepared this in a thin Paella on a portable gas burner, but you can use any pan you like, even non-stick.

This serves 2.

400 ml      Fish Stock
            Olive Oil, extra virgin
250 g       Squid, cleaned
125 g       Fideus, thin, "angel hair"
  3 cloves  Garlic, minced
  2 g       Pimenton Dulce (1 tsp)
  1         Choricero Chili, dry, seeded, hydrated, chopped fine
  1         Tomato, flesh grated, without skin
  4 g       Parsley, finely chopped (1 Tbs)

            Salt

            Pepper

Heat the Fish Stock in a pot to a bare simmer so it will cook the fideos quickly.

In a Paella or other flat pan, heat some Olive Oil, and then sauté the Squid until browned; remove and slice the tubes into rings.

Add more Olive Oil if needed and sauté the Fideos until toasted, a few minutes; stir frequently as they can burn quickly; reserve.

Add the Garlic (and Olive Oil if needed), and sauté until softened. Add the Pimenton and stir quickly and briefly so it doesn't scorch, then add the chopped Choricero and cook for a minute. Add the grated Tomato pulp and Parsley, and cook a few minutes to concentrate the flavor and thicken.

Add the browned Fideos and the Stock, and stir to distribute everything. Crank up the heat and simmer vigorously for a few minutes until the Fideos are barely cooked; don't let them get mushy.  Ideally, the Fideos will be al dente with just a little of the Stock left in the pan; if not, crank the heat or add more Stock as needed. Add Salt and Pepper to taste. Near the end, top with the Squid.  Turn off the heat and cover with a lid for a few minutes to let the Fideos absorb all the Stock.

If you're lucky, you'll notice that most of the strands of Fideos will have stood up vertically. I don't know why this happens but I've seen it in my better attempts, as well as in photos online. 

This should be topped with a zesty Aioli (Rapidísimo, Toum), and served with a strong red wine to stand up to the rich flavors.

2025-12-12 Not as tasty -- stock? choricero?

I made this again, same as before (except I added a bit of Perch I needed to use) and it lacked the rich taste it had before. It was a different batch of Irene's gelled Fish Stock, a I let the Choricero hydrate all day.  Perhaps the fish stock was not as tasty as before, and maybe I took too much flavor from the Choricero.

It looked good, and again the Fideus stood up

Next time, use Choricero pulp (easy to find in jars here), and taste the Stock to see what it's like.

Chicharrones de Cádiz: tender, light, and tasty (not crunchy "pork rinds")

We had this traditional tapa in Cádiz at Arte Puro (de Taberna Casa Manteca) and I was immediately taken with it: tender slices of pork belly seasoned with spices including pimentón, garnished with olive oil, lime, and salt, and served barely cool. They were surprising refreshing, great on a hot day. 

Sliced thinly, dressed with olive oil, coarse salt, lime

We found some in Barcelona at El Corte Inglés "Gourmet Club", but they were a pale imitation: a bit dry, not terribly flavorful -- I wouldn't have been so interested if these were the only ones I'd tasted. 

I had to figure out how to make them at home! Feel free to skip to the Approach or the Recipe, or follow along.

In Cadíz: moist and delicious!

Dull from El Corte Inglés, oddly with coriander, cumin, vinegar

Research

There are so many variations, which just points to the fact that this is a very old and common dish, and everyone makes it their own way.

General

Chicharrones de Cádiz: cómo son y dónde comerlos mentions two places we went, including the place we ate these, but doesn't provide a recipe or technique. These are pieces of pork belly [panceta], a "marbled" area of ​​the pork that alternates layers of meat with fat. This gives the pieces a special succulence. Butchers call them "pear belly" because of their shape, which is reminiscent of the fruit.

Chicharrones de Cádiz talks about the prep in general. Iberian pork belly has a better mix of fat and a more intense flavor than regular pork belly. They use white lard (manteca) for cooking, seasoned with garlic, oregano, paprika, salt, and other optional seasonings. Substituting Olive Oil for the Lard may result in a different result in terms of texture and flavor, but it is still a valid option for those who prefer a less traditional cooking method. Another modern adaptation of the recipe involves adding lemon and peppers to the pork rinds during preparation, adding a citrusy and slightly spicy touch that further enhances their flavor.

El País has a video La tapa más especial de Cádiz which starts at the Casa de Manteca, then goes to the producer who says the panceta is trimmed then cooked in manteca for 90 minutes on medium heat, and seasoned with oregano, garlic, salt, garlic, bay laurel, pimentón.

Cooked in Manteca, Sometimes Boiled First

Chicharrones loncheados de Cádiz cooks the panceta an hour in manteca seasoned with salt, garlic, oregano, and pimentón.

Chicharrones especiales o chicharrones de Cádiz is similar to the previous, using pear-shaped ("pera") panceta. They do not use pimentón, and cook in "pella de cerdo" (pork rind) or white lard.

Receta de Chicharrones de Cádiz caseros adds "laurel" (bay leaves) and black pepper, and starts cooking in water about 30 minutes until it evaporates, then cooks the panceta in its own fat with the seasonings for another hour, then further cooks it in reduced wine and seasonings. This one sounds interesting, but unnecessarily complex.

Two videos I've seen saute garlic in oil then brown the panceta on both sides, then add white wine, bay, salt, then cover with water and simmer 30 minutes. This one then fries in manteca to brown, but uses a huge amount of manteca to do it; oddly, there's no pimentón.  Another cooks only in seasoned manteca for 90 minutes, but it looks a bit more dry and shreddy than I'd like. 

Dry- or Paste-Seasoned then Baked

Receta de chicharrón de Cádiz casero coats the panceta with a paste of garlic, oregano, pimentón, and salt with a bit of olive oil, then bakes at 200C for up to an hour, basting in the fat it releases. This certainly saves on having a liter of manteca.

This "short" looks super-simple: a 3-hour marinade in oil and spices then bake at 200C until crunchy. It seems similar to the previous one.

This video, in English, is from an NYC chef does a dry cure similar to bacon (with some sugar, oddly) for 1-2 days, then adds some pimentón and roasts at 250F/120C for 90 minutes; it looks pretty decent.

Dry Rub then Sous Vide

Anova's Chicharrones de Cádiz uses sous vide, which allows us to reduce the lard to just enough for flavoring. He cooks at 60C for 30 hours (!) with the lard and spices, then sears to brown before slicing. The article's in English and the author is originally from Madrid, so I'm giving some him credit for authenticity.

Approach

I did a flavor trial with a spice mix of Salt, minced Garlic, Oregano, Pimentón, and a couple fresh Bay leaves coating a pork tenderloin. I cooked it sous vide for an hour at 58C, then finished on the BBQ. The flavor was good, if a bit timid; the Pimentón was welcome and I was really fond of the Bay.

Boiling in water is about the last thing I'd want to do with meat -- too much flavor loss, no flavor gain; if the goal is to cook through, just do it in tasty Manteca. It seems to me that flavoring a pot of Manteca with seasonings isn't going to impart much flavor to the meat, even if it's the most traditional method. A dry rub/cure or paste, followed by baking, seems like it would retain all the flavor and give a bit of crunch, but it obviates the Manteca flavoring. Searing in Manteca after cooking might burn any spice coating, so watch out for that.

The Anova Sous Vide recipe seems a good compromise: the dry rub is like the baked recipes above, but adding chunks of Manteca for traditional flavor; the final sear in Manteca should give it an appealing crust, hopefully without burning any spices. I could also try blooming the spices in hot Manteca then painting that onto the Panceta before cooking sous vide, it's one extra small step. 

Recipe

I got a 750 g piece of Iberian Panceta from Xarcuteria Neus in our Mercat de Sant Antoni and had them remove the skin; it was 14€/Kg. Irene has tubs of Manteca, because she's Irene. I'm cutting the Anova sous vide recipe in half here, but keeping his original quantity of Bay and Pimentón because I love those flavors.

750 g       Iberian Panceta, skin removed

0.7 g       Oregano, dried (1 Tbs)

 10 g       Salt (2 tsp)

5.6 g       Pimentón Dulce (1 Tbs)

  3 cloves  Garlic, minced

  4 leaves  Bay, fresh 

 45 g       White Manteca, cut in chunks

 ?? g       White Manteca, for searing, if needed

            Lemon juice, fresh, for garnish

            Coarse Salt, for garnish

            Extra Virgin Olive Oil, for garnish

Heat a sous vide water bath to 60C.

Combine the Oregano, Salt, Pimentón.

Mix in the minced Garlic and smear into a dry paste.

Spread a large sheet of plastic film and lay the Panceta on top.

Rub spices into both sides of the Panceta as evenly as possible; it's difficult because this isn't quite a dry rub nor a smooth spreadable paste.

Lay on the Bay leaves and Manteca chunks, again on both sides.

(Maybe these, except for the Manteca, could all be blitzed in a spice grinder?)

Wrap the plastic film tightly around the Panceta.

Seal in a sous vide bag and cook 30 (!) hours at 60C.

While still warm, remove from bag and dry with paper towel.

Save the tasty liquid and fat from the bag, we used it to serve black-eyed peas as a side dish.

Score the fat to allow rendering than sear slowly in skillet, fat-side down, with a little more Manteca until appealingly golden; flip and sear the meaty side just a little, don't overcook it. We probably didn't need the Manteca here since the fat rendered quite easily. 

Chill well, then slice as thinly; I was able to get about 2mm slices but a meat slicer would give even more tender 1mm slices.

Plate and garnish with coarse Salt, a squeeze of Lemon, and some good Olive Oil. 

I used Lime, but Lemon would be more harmonious.

Serve with mini bread sticks, called "picos" in Spanish or "barretes de pa" in Catalan.

Results

I got better at cutting thinner slices, and it was more appealing -- more refreshing. The spice rub was not nearly as pronounced as I was expecting, and perhaps hoping. But we returned to it again and again, especially as a lunch or Hora de Vermut treat.

Next Time

I'd probably keep the same spicing for now. Maybe use dried/granulated garlic to make the rub easier to apply. Definitely score the fat side -- diagonally or perpendicular to how it's going to be sliced -- to allow the spice rub to penetrate more. 

2025-08-03 Scored, with Powdered Dry Rub

I got another cut from Carnisseria Carmen, also el Mercat de Sant Antoni; it started at 640 g, and after removing the skin, was 540 g. I tried to maximize the flavor by diagonally scoring the fatty side (just to the meat) and also scoring the meat side slightly, perpendicular to how it will be cut when serving. I whizzed all the ingredients so I had a dry rub, and pressed them into the flesh after painting it with liquid Manteca.

540 g       Panceta Iberica (trimmed weight)

 40 g       Manteca, melted

  4 leaves  Bay, fresh

 10 g       Salt

 10 g       Garlic granules (coarse powder)

  6 g       Pimenton Dulce

  1 g       Oregano, dried

Score the fat side of the Panceta in a diagonal pattern, just through the fat to the meat;

barely score the meat side perpendicularly to the way it will be sliced.

Lay the Panceta on a large sheet of plastic film to contain everything.

Melt the Manteca and paint it on both sides of the Panceta, it will firm up as it hits the cool meat.

Grind the Bay and dry spices in a spice grinder, and dust both sides, pressing into the Manteca and the scores.

Wrap tightly in the plastic film and chill well so the fat firms up.

Seal in a sous vide bag.

Proceed as above: cook sous vide 30h @ 60c, sear briefly, chill, slice, and serve.

Patatas Panaderas: rustic and simple potatoes

We were looking for a simple, rustic starch to go with our meal and this looked good -- a bit familiar, replacing the expected butter with the more typical olive oil of Spain. Potatoes, onions, olive oil, garlic, some wine -- that's about it. This isn't an awesome, impress-your-friends dish,  but straight forward comfort food that will go with many dishes; we served it with sous vide and seared pork loin and sauerkraut.

Not going to win any beauty prize, but it's easy comfort food

Most recipes I've seen bake for a long time (hot, expensive), some cook in the microwave (won't get crisp), others on stovetop in copious oil, and most finish with a splash of wine then baked hot and uncovered. Teresa Barrenechea's is very simple, one step, but covered at very high heat to cook and crisp -- 500F for 30 minutes, covered the whole time, no wine. They all start by slicing the potatoes and onions, then adding seasonings and oil. This chef's video shows the technique and this page has ingredients and instructions. This recipe cooks everything covered in a microwave for 10-11 minutes, but there's no way it can get crusty and crunchy. Spain on a Fork has a recipe and video, and I've found his others to come out well. La Tienda has a simple one, like Barrenechea's, but with a final uncovered browning stage.

I don't want to crank the oven for over an hour, so I first cook in the microwave, then brown in a hot oven.

This serves two as a side dish.

  2 medium  Potatoes, peeled, sliced thin

1/2 medium  Onion, peeled, slice thin

    bunch   Parsley, chopped

 to taste   Salt

 to taste   Pepper

 60 ml      Olive Oil (more as needed)

 60 ml      White Wine (amount not critical)

In a microwave-safe bowl, toss the sliced Potatoes and Onions with the Parsley, Salt, Pepper, and Olive Oil to coat well.

Cover tightly with film and poke a small hole for steam.

Microwave on high for 10 minutes until the potatoes are just tender.

Preheat oven to 200C convection (if possible).

Transfer everything to a small baking sheet.

Bake on the top shelf until the wine's boiled off and the potatoes are browned and a bit crunchy.

Serve.

Casual Fideuà: easy, quick, slightly nontraditional

Fideuà is Valencian dish made similarly to Paella but uses short thin noodles instead of rice, and this makes it much quicker to prepare. We've made a number of variations in the US (with Spaghettini) and Barcelona (Ravalistan, Assassina). This version was driven by hunger and a "what's for dinner" moment: it comes together quickly, for an easy weeknight meal. My biggest cheat here is using a non-stick skillet instead of one of my paella pans and it worked fine! It took only 35 minutes to make.

Meatballs aren't traditional but this dish is tasty

The first time I made this, I rushed and skipped the Sofrito and it lacked flavor. The second time, with Sofrito, was much fuller in flavor, and I used monk fish for the protein; happily, the noodles stood up in the pan when done, a curious effect that seems to mark a well made fideuà. Here, Fideuà is usually made with fish/shellfish, but I'm using what's on hand, even if a bit nontraditional: Irene's mixed stock and her mini meatballs.

Most recipes seem to use 2-to-1 to 4-to-1 ratios of liquid-to-stock (by weight). This one from a chef seems way off, with a 10-to-1 ratio (!), and starts and finishes in the oven -- too fussy. The one from BBC looks pretty good but seems to use an excess of tomatoes in the sofrito. This recipe is quite detailed and looks authentic.

The noodles (Catalan fideus, Spanish fideos) come in a variety of thicknesses, and I prefer a rather thin one, so I'm using our local Bonpreu store brand cabell d'angel (angel hair) which the package says cooks in only 2-4 minutes, so the final step is fast; thicker noodles take longer, of course. 

The only tricky bit with this is that you want the pasta barely cooked  and all the liquid absorbed: if the pasta is threatening to get too soft, crank the heat all the way up; if the noodles aren't cooked enough, lower the heat and maybe add more stock or water.  You want to dry it out to finish to develop a little crusty base similar to socarrat in paella.

It's typically served garnished with lemon wedges and a garlic-y allioli (try my eggless toum or rapidisimo).

Serves 2 for dinner with a side salad

375 ml      Stock (fish, chicken, etc, as appropriate)

            Olive Oil

200 g       Mini Meatballs (or other protein)

125 g       Fideus/Fideos noodles, thin

1/2 medium  Onion, diced

  1         Ñora pepper (hydrated) or half a Red Bell Pepper, diced

  2 cloves  Garlic, sliced thinly

  1 medium  Tomato, grated

            Salt

  2         Lemon Wedges

In a pot, Warm the Stock and hold.

I'm using a 25 cm (10 inch) non-stick skillet for the Fideuà because neither our old induction cooktop nor portable gas burner heat very evenly; I'd like to try this on our BBQ with our proper paella pan.

 

If you use a firm protein (e.g., monk fish, squid, meatballs), sauté it first in a bit of Olive Oil until barely done; reserve.

Add a bit more Oil if needed and sauté the Fideus Noodles until lightly browned, reserve.

 

 

Add the Onion and sauté a bit, then add the Ñora or Red Pepper, and cook until softened.

Add the Garlic and cook to remove the raw edge.

Add the Tomato and cook the entire Sofrito until a bit dry and thickened to intensify the flavor.

Taste and add Salt as needed.

Add the Noodles back to the Sofrito pan and stir it to combine thoroughly.

Add the Stock and give it one gentle stir to combine well;after that, don't stir the noodles, it makes them sticky: instead, give the pan a shake if you need to.

 

 

Cook over medium-high to high heat: the thinner the Noodle, the less time you'll need to cook and absorb and evaporate the Stock (I needed high heat for these very thin noodles).

Top with the cooked Meatballs (or other protein) to heat through.

Check the texture of the noodles and adjust heat as needed: when al dente, crank the heat up to drive off the rest of the liquid; listen carefully for a little sizzling -- you may also begin to smell a bit of crust forming, check the bottom with a fork and remove from heat when mostly dry.

Garnish with Lemon Wedges, garlic sauce, and serve.

 

Note dark skin on left

Fork holding crusty skin

 

Allioli Rapidísimo: quick and pungent -- using milk!

While I was researching recipes for sepia croquetas I came across a TV video which included a "allioli rapidísimo". Interestingly, it used milk as a base, which is something I've never heard of, and I've been working on various Spanish alliolis like toum for a while. As the name implies, it takes just a few minutes to make using a stick blender. It has a fiery burn from the raw garlic which mellows after a night in the fridge.

The chef said you can use whatever oil you like as the base, including a neutral one like sunflower oil, but we found this was too mild and created a sauce that was blindingly white, so we'll use a plain olive oil, then finish with extra virgin for flavor. The chef also added a bit of parsley at the end, but I think that distracts from the appearance.

A search shows that this is a Portuguese (perhaps Brazilian) called "maionese de leite", and that author shows that it's amenable to a variety of flavors including tomato or anchovy which sounds interesting.

  1 clove  Garlic, whole, peeled

 60 ml     Milk

120 ml     Olive Oil (perhaps not Extra Virgin)

as needed  Extra Virgin Olive Oil

           Parsley (optional)

to taste   Sherry Vinegar

to taste   Salt

Put the clove of Garlic in the cup of a stick blender, add the Milk and the first Olive Oil.

Whiz with the stick blender -- without moving the blender -- until the Milk and Oil merge almost completely.

Slowly drizzle in the Extra Virgin Olive Oil while blending, raising and dropping the stick blender to incorporate; it should start to thicken and fluff up. 

Add as much EVOO as you like to get the texture you want, I probably added 60 ml or so, not as much as I expected.

Add a bit of Parsley if you like and whiz briefly.

Add Sherry Vinegar and Salt, whiz a little, taste, and adjust. 

Croquetas de Sepia y su Tinta: crunchy and rich

Croquetas are little fried balls of bechamel containing something like jamón, chicken, bacalao, cheese and nuts, or in this case, squid with its ink. Almost every little café serves them as a tapa, but usually not the squid ink variety. This is my favorite flavor: the ink gives it a rich "earthiness" (which seems like the wrong word for a sea creature). The proteins are usually diced very small, to provide some texture without poking through the crunchy crust.

Croquetas topped with "allioli rapidísimo"

Sepia and Choco refer to the same species (cuttlefish), while Calamar (squid) is a different beast; both work fine. Many recipes add onions, cooked eggs, wine, nutmeg, etc, but I think those additions would be distracting. This video recipe is quite detailed, but he's using squid already cooked in its ink. Another video makes the bechamel with oil (no butter), and that seems very Spanish to me, I'll do that too. We get squid and separate frozen  packets of ink (4 for 0,69€), and we'll cook the squid then its ink in the bechamel's oil. The bechamel is equal parts by weight of fat (oil, butter, or a mix) and flour. The ratio of milk to fat+oil is about 2.5-2.8. I used Squid, an amount I had on hand.

These are easy enough to make, although the shaping/coating can be a little fussy so having a friend speeds the process.

One of my source recipes made an "allioli rapidísimo" which I made, and it turned out well, so I've written that up separately. 

Makes about 24, and a tapa-sized serving is probably 3 per person. After cooking and cooling, extras  freeze and reheat surprisingly well, baked.

100 g        Olive Oil (doesn't have to be Extra Virgin)

150 g        Sepia/Calamar, cleaned, body and tentacles, fine dice
  1 clove    Garlic, minced
  2 packets  Squid Ink ("tinta")
100 g        Flour

500 ml       Milk, whole
 to taste    Salt

Flour

Egg, beaten
Panko Bread Crumbs

Heat the Oil in a medium sized pan.

Add the Squid and Garlic and cook a few minutes until the garlic is barely golden.

Add the Ink and stir to distribute well.

Add the Flour, and mix thoroughly; cook 5 minutes to ensure there's no raw flour taste.

Add half the Milk to the Squid/Flour mixture, stir until it comes together;

add the rest of the Milk and repeat.

Cook to thicken and intensify, stirring continuously until you have a sauce thicker than cream, perhaps yoghurt-like: you want a stiff mixture when it's cool so you can form them.

Put in a tub, cover tightly with film, cool, then refrigerate; it should be quite stiff.

You can use this time to make an allioli if you like.

For shaping and coating, it helps to have a friend: one scoops, shapes, and coats in Flour, the other then coats in Egg and Panko.

Set out separate bowls of Flour, beaten Egg, and Panko.

Scoop out a bit and make a bite size ball or cork-like shape; a #30 disher/scoop can help here. 

Drop in the Flour, transfer to Egg and coat, then to Panko to cover; this can get messy.

Repeat until all the Squid Bechamel is used.

I like to chill these before frying but it's probably not necessary.

Fry in batches in hot oil, about 190C/375F, until golden all around;

if they soften and leak the filling, remove immediately.

Drain on a paper towel lined plate.

Serve with an allioli or other sauce. 

Eat promptly, while hot.

How it turned out, next time...

The texture was good, creamy rather than liquid or stiff. The filling didn't have enough fishy/squiddy flavor, and wasn't as dramatically black as I wanted. The squid shrank a lot when cooking and was not very apparent in the bite.

Next time, bump up the squid to 200-300 g. Cut it into larger pieces, pea sized, since it shrinks so much. Double the ink to 4 packets.

Consider boosting flavor by adding a seafood stock to the bechamel and cooking it down to intensify.

Ajoarriero Aragonés: bacalao, potato, and egg -- cool and smooth

We had this at Tasca Angel in Valencia and it felt like comfort food for the dog days of summer: a cool mashed potato or brandade-like texture that was fine on its own or smeared on bread. This version from Aragon is different from the one with the same name from Navarra which is a stew that adds tomatoes and peppers. The recipe originated with mule drivers (arrieros) who could carry potatoes and dried salt cod on their overland journeys, and is very similar to "atascaburras" ("something that blocks a donkey's way") from Castilla-La Mancha.

Garnished with parsley, served with toast

Unsurprisingly, there are wide variations. Many recipes make this with chopped eggs, some with chunky potatoes; others add onion or bread crumbs.  In this video for "atascaburras o ajoarriero", Chef Teresa Carrascosa whips a LOT of olive oil into the cooked potatoes then mixes the shredded bacalao by hand. It's frequently garnished with quartered boiled eggs, walnuts, and/or parsley. 

Recipes range from 4:1 potatoes to bacalao to about 1:1 by weight; we'll start with 2:1. Here, I'm looking for a smooth texture and minimal ingredients.   I've got a potato ricer which makes a really smooth mash, but we can't pass bacalao through it; if you've got a potato masher, you can mash them both together.

Makes 600 ml, 555 g, and serves 4 as a hearty first course but you'll probably want some later.

A few simple ingredients

If needed, desalt the Bacalao in multiple changes of water for two days, or use ready-to-cook "al punt de sal" without hydrating.

200 g      Bacalao (desalted)

400 g      Potato (for baking, mashing, not waxy)

 75 ml     Olive Oil, Extra Virgin, good quality

  2 clove  Garlic, minced

  1        Egg, beaten

In a small pan, lightly sauté the Garlic in a small amount of the Oil to tame it for Irene, remove from heat after 5 minutes (normally it's added raw, mashed with a mortar).

In a medium pot, gently simmer the Bacalao in water 4-5 minutes until almost tender, remove, discard any skin and bones, then crumble or chop finely.

Bring the water back to a boil, slice the Potatoes 1/2 cm thick, and cook until barely done (maybe 15 minutes?)

Drain Potatoes, reserving some of the water.

Add the Garlic Oil to the now empty pot.

Pass Potato slices through a potato ricer into the pot with Garlic Oil. 

Add beaten Egg to the Potatoes and combine, ensuring they doesn't coagulate in one place.
Add the Bacalao and combine.
Drizzle in the rest of the Oil and mix to a smooth consistency like loose mashed potatoes; if it seems too thick, add a bit of the reserved water and more Oil.
Adjust Salt if needed but the Bacalao will probably bring enough of its own.
Allow to cool to room temperature then cover and cool.
Serve cold, cool, or room temperature, garnished with parsley; spread on bread or toast.

In cold weather, this could be served hot and warming like an intense potato purée.

How was it? Next time...

This turned out well, but not as smooth as at Tasca Angel -- I suspect they passed theirs through a tamis. 

I used the medium holes of the potato ricer and that let some skins through so use the smallest holes next time.

Irene said it needed more bacalao flavor so next time reduce the Potato to 300 g.

Almendrados: Spanish almond cookies, 3 variations

I saw a recipe that needed roasted skin-on almonds, got them, then forgot what I wanted them for: definitely something Spanish, probably dessert-like. So I hit upon Almendrados, almond cookies. I found some variations and decided to make three. Below, the first two are similar techniques and I used the skin-on whole almonds (ground up), while the final one was more fussy and I used store-bought finely ground almonds; you can see the difference in the color. It's not quite a fair comparison, and I probably wouldn't buy the whole skin-on nuts again: they give the cookies an unappealing "health food" look. 

Variations: #1 bottom, #2 top right, #3 top left

TL;DR: the first recipe below is the easiest and was quite good; the second was quite dry and requires a glass of sherry; the last is visually the most appealing (pale finely ground almonds) and was like a shortbread, similar to Spanish polvorónes we see in wintertime.

#1: Spain On A Fork: 3 ingredients -- an easy treat

Some of the other recipes I've made from his site turned out well, and his videos are quite helpful. 

These had a good chew and definite sweetness that made them a treat.

260 g Almonds, ground fine

120 g Powdered Sugar

  1   Egg, separated

Grind the Almonds as fine as you can in a food processor or blender, but watch out it doesn't go so far as to turn into nut butter. Mine are not as fine as I'd liked, and I wouldn't use the skin-on nuts again.

Add to a large bowl, and add the Powdered Sugar.

Separate the Egg into White and Yolk.

Whisk the Egg White about 15 seconds to fluff and add to the Almonds and Sugar.

Mix together and when it starts combining, use your hands to squeeze it together; if it's too sticky, add a bit of ground Almonds or Flour; if too tight, add a little water.

He shapes them into "chicken nugget design" but I kinda rolled the mass between cling film to a bit under a centimeter then cut into rectangles with a knife -- it was easier.

Set on a parchment-lined baking sheet, and press grooves into the tops of each.

Whip the reserved Egg Yolk and paint each one.

Bake convection at 190C for about 10 minutes.

Remove from oven, then dust with a bit more Powdered Sugar, and let cool.

These didn't look too impressive but they were a treat to eat: sweet, a bit of a chew, and much more fun than the ease of this recipe would suggest.

I expect using finely ground, pale, store-bought ground almonds would make this more appealing.

#2: Spruce Eats: similar technique, more fussy -- dry, no joy

Spruce Eats recipes seem well-researched and others I've made have turned out well.

This one, however, made me think of "health food": dry, almost no sweetness -- it didn't bring joy.

I halved their recipe here to accommodate the amount of ingredients I had.

Perhaps it would have been better with store bought almond powder but the extra work compared to the first recipe doesn't seem justified.

Not appealing, in looks or taste; this shouldn't be "health food"

1/2   Lemon, zest

  1   Egg

227 g Almonds, ground

125 g Sugar, granulated

Zest 1/2 Lemon.

Separate Egg into White and Yolk; use an electric whisk to whip the Whites in a glass until stiff peaks formed. 

Mix the Yolks then gently combine with the whipped Whites, don't worry about getting it uniform.

Add the Sugar, Lemon Zest, Ground Almonds, and combined Egg to a bowl.

Mix with a spatula then your hands until it's well combined. 

I used a disher (miniature ice cream scoop) to load the dough, compress, then emplace onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet.

Bake at 190C convection about 15 minutes until golden; this was hard to tell with our skin-on almond color, but no problem.

Remove and cool.

These were too dry, with almost no sweetness; any hints of lemon were lost. They cried out for Sherry.

I'm surprised how "sad" these seemed compared to the previous recipe since the ingredients are basically the same; I would have figured the inclusion of yolks would have made these richer but, the the whipped whites would have made them puffy, but it wasn't the case.

I probably wouldn't bother with these again.

#3: Visit Southern Spain: totally different technique -- impressive looking, shortbread-y

This was a totally different technique and yielded cookies that looked ... like cookies. It involved chilling, rolling, and cutting the dough but wasn't really that difficult. 

They had a shortbread crumbly texture, almost like the "polvorónes" that appear everywhere here in Barcelona around Christmastime.

Appealing and rather good "short" cookies

200 g Flour

125 g Ground Almonds (store-bought, finely ground, pale)

4.5 g Baking Powder (1 tsp)

125 g Sugar, white, granulated

125 g Butter, room temperature

  2   Eggs (one reserved for garnish)

   Sliced Almonds, for garnish

Sift Flour into a large bowl.

Happily, the bag of store-bought ground Almonds was 125 g so I didn't have to do anything.

Add Almonds and Baking Powder.

Make a well in the center and add Sugar, Butter, 1 Egg.

Combine as well as you can with a spatula, then use your hands to bring it all together.

Form into a ball and wrap in a large piece of cling film; refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Remove and spread out film, top with another layer of film, and roll out to about 3/4 cm thickness.

Chill in fridge again for about 10 minutes.

Use a glass to cut circular cookies; I dipped mine into ground almonds to keep it from sticking, but the amount of butter in these would probably prevent any stickage.

Place on parchment-lined cookie sheet, whip up the reserved Egg, and paint with the egg wash; garnish with Sliced Almonds.

Bake about 12 minutes at 190C convection until browned.

Shape and roll the remaining dough, cut, and place on another parchment-lined sheet, wash, and garnish; bake.

Remove and let cool.

These are fairly impressive looking, like something you'd get at a bakery.

They're rather good, maybe a bit crumbly -- "short" -- for my taste, but worth the trouble of chilling, rolling, cutting.