NO TOMATOES IN THIS MARINERA SAUCE

Does “marinera sauce” mean a tomato sauce for pasta? This Spanish version has no tomatoes and is not served with pasta but with fish or shellfish.

In Spanish, “marinera” means anything seafaring—a fisherperson, a song, a sauce. A sailor is a marinero. (As in the dance song, La Bamba, “Yo no soy marinero, soy capitán”.) Gastronomically speaking, it´s a preparation originated by fishermen cooking aboard boats or fishermen’s wives, preparing dinner with what’s left of the day’s catch. It´s simple food, often nothing more than fish with olive oil, garlic and wine, but really tasty.

The Andalusian version of fish in marinera sauce, as prepared in the Cádiz region, often does include tomatoes as well as green peppers. But today I´m making a recipe more typical of the Cantabrian coasts. No tomatoes in this marinera sauce. 

No tomatoes in this marinera sauce! Fish fillets cook with shrimp and clams in a sauce with wine, garlic and a touch of pimentón (paprika) for color.

 

Any white fish works for this simple fish dish. Here made with corvina.

The recipe can be made with fillets of any white fish—hake, cod, conger eel, turbot, sea bass, grouper, halibut, snapper. The addition of a few shrimp and clams adds to the marinero flavor. “White wine” can be a Basque txakoli or a Sanlucar fino Manzanilla, a dry Galician Albariño or bubbly cava.

Filleting fish. Bones and head are for fish stock.

Today I´ve got a whole corvina (also known as "drum,"  “croaker” or "white sea bass"). I filleted the fish and cut four fillets from the lomo, or thickest part of the fish. I´m using the head, bones and trimmings to make fish stock (fumet). Some stock is needed for the marinera sauce. The remainder, along with the scrappy pieces of fish from the tail and collar, will become fish chowder or, to use the sour oranges in season now, fish soup cachorreñas. 

If you are making homemade fish stock, buy whole shrimp in their shells. Use the heads and shells in the stock. (There´s a recipe for fish stock here.)

Fish with Shrimp and Clams with Marinera Sauce

Pescado a la Marinera con Almejas

Serves 2.

4 skinless fillets of white fish, each about 3 ounces

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Flour for dredging

Olive oil

1/3 cup chopped shallots, onions or leeks

2 small cloves garlic, sliced crosswise

Red pepper flakes, to taste

1 tablespoon flour

½ teaspoon pimentón (sweet paprika, not smoked)

¼ cup white wine

2 cups fish stock

8 scrubbed clams

12 small peeled shrimp

Chopped parsley

Fry fish before adding to sauce.

Sprinkle the fish with salt and pepper and allow to stand 30 minutes. Dredge the fillets in flour and pat off the excess. Add enough oil to a skillet to cover the bottom and heat on moderately high. Fry the fish until lightly browned on both sides. The fish does not need to be cooked through. Remove the fish and reserve it. Wipe out the pan.

Add 2 tablespoons oil to pan and heat on moderate. Add the shallots and garlic and sauté gently until softened, 5 minutes, without letting the shallots brown. Add the red pepper flakes and stir in the flour and pimentón. Stir in the wine and cook off the alcohol. Stir in the fish stock. Add salt to taste (fish stock may already be sufficiently salted). Cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens slightly, 10 minutes.

Add clams to sauce.

Return the fillets of fish to the pan. Cook them on moderately-low heat 5 minutes. (If fish is cooked at this point, remove it and keep warm.) Add the clams and shrimp, cover the pan and cook until the clam shells open. Add chopped parsley immediately before serving. Serve the fish with sauce, clams and shrimp.

Fish in marinera sauce with clams and shrimp.

More recipes with marinera sauce:

Monkfish, Mariner´s Style.

Clams, Fishermen´s Style.

Cachorreás, an Andalusian fish soup, with sour orange.

For using the scrappy pieces cut from a whole fish, an Andalusian fish soup with the juice of sour/bitter oranges called cachorreñas. The recipe is here.

HOME AGAIN—IMPRESSIONS

 

The view from my kitchen window--almond tree in bloom, olive tree in the foreground, mimosa on the right of the view, pine trees beyond.

I´m back in my kitchen in Spain, after a visit to family in the U.S. How cold and drafty my house is! After weeks with central heating, double-glazing, soft carpets, walking across cold tile floors, I am shivering and pulling on extra sweaters and socks. I have to make soup! 

Once I sleep off the exhaustion and jet-lag, I high-tail it to the grocery store to stock the pantry—a heap of vegetables for home-made soup and a chicken to roast for dinner. Ah, feeling warmer already.

It is the first sip of tea in the morning that warms me and reminds me of what I love about home. It’s just plain old English breakfast tea, but it´s brewed with pure, unchlorinated water from the well on my land. It tastes completely different from the same tea, made with city tap water.   

And, I´ve finally got my preferred yogurt—no fat, no sweetening, no fruit or flavors added, with probiotics. With chopped apple and a couple of almonds, cracked and chopped, that’s breakfast. In the U.S., I felt a guilty eating whole-milk yogurt, but I quite liked substituting crunchy grape nuts for the almonds. About the apples—they were better in the U.S. than in Spain. More varieties at the grocery and sweeter and crisper. Fruit, in general, was excellent there, though it was a little disconcerting to have so much out-of-season imported fruit. Although the clementines from Chile were excellent, the ones I pick in my garden are better!

Café con leche in a glass.

Coffee at the café in the village plaza, after my first day back to morning aerobics, elicits a sigh of pleasure. An espresso brew con leche, with just a little foam, the coffee is served in a small glass, a perfect handwarmer on a chill day. American coffee tastes too acidic to me.  

I still haven´t got back my land legs. By that I mean I´m unsteady traversing uneven ground around my house. I go out to pick some lemons, hang out the laundry to dry, take the garbage to the compost at the far end of the property, walk uphill to the mailbox on the carretera, set up the goteo (drip irrigation) for the avocado and mango trees. Where I was staying with Daniel and Eli, in an Atlanta suburb, you don’t go outside except “to go for a walk” or, if you´re Nico, to shoot some hoops in the driveway. 

Back in my own kitchen, at first I am distressed at my own untidiness—objects shoved into corners and piled on open shelves. I admire Daniel and Eli for keeping their big kitchen ship-shape, washing up every night and putting everything away. But, after cooking a few meals at home, I quickly fall back into my old, comfortable patterns—wash up in the morning and, with fewer people in the house, run the dish washer every third day (after midnight, to save on electricity). 

I´m glad to have my own “stuff” that makes recipe testing easier, plus dishes, bowls and other props for food styling. Trying to put up the blog from someone else´s kitchen was a challenge!

Trying out a new carbon steel skillet.

I have a new kitchen tool, a Christmas gift to myself—a carbon steel skillet. I should have gotten a smaller one—4.3 pounds is not “heavy” if it´s a bag of oranges, lifted with two hands, but, hefted one-handed by a long handle, it´s more than I can manage. And, turns out, it almost doesn´t fit in my small, European oven. 

Still, I “seasoned” it and I´m ready to try it out! What to cook? I choose fresh ibérico pork chops, marbled with fat. (My American family eats lean—chicken breast and lean beef. At one family meal, we had thick-cut pork chops cooked on the grill on the deck. I watched them all carefully cut away and discard the rim of fat on the chops. I finally reached over and speared some of that juicy deliciousness from Lucas´s plate.) 

Thick-cut ibérico pork chops are seared then finished in a covered pan with sliced apples. Medium Sherry to deglaze the pan creates a delicious sauce.

Pork chops and apples with an oloroso Sherry sauce, brussels sprouts and, no not mashed potatoes, but crushed parsnips. Dinner is served at home.

Fresh ibérico pork stays juicy due to marbling of fat.

Ibérico Pork Chops with Apples and Sherry

Chuletas Ibéricas con Manzana y Oloroso Seco

Chops are 1 ½ inches thick, each weighing 9 ½ ounces.

3 thick-cut porkchops

Salt

Freshly ground pepper

Chopped parsley

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Sprigs of rosemary

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 apple, cored and sliced

1 tablespoon water

¼ cup oloroso seco Sherry

Sprinkle one side of the chops with salt, pepper, parsley and lemon juice. Place sprigs of rosemary on top. Allow to stand 30 minutes.

Heat a heavy skillet on high. Add the oil and reduce heat to moderate. Sear the chops, unsalted side down first, until browned, 1 minute. Turn and sear the other side. Add the apples to the pan with the water. Cover and cook on moderately-low heat, turning once, until the meat is barely cooked through (145ºF on an instant-read thermometer), 5 to 8 minutes. Remove the chops and apple slices from the pan and keep them warm. Discard the sprigs of rosemary.

Add the Sherry to the pan and use a wooden paddle to scrape up any drippings. Bring to a boil and simmer until slightly reduced. Serve the sauce with the pork chops and apples. Garnish, if desired, with fresh sprigs of rosemary.

IT´S INTERNATIONAL CROQUETTE DAY TOMORROW!

Croquettes for every taste, with ham, cheese, chicken, cod, vegetable. Just in time for International Croquette Day.

 

Golden-brown and crispy on the outside, meltingly soft on the inside and packed with flavor, a good croquette is a joy to bite into. Croquettes appeal to all the senses. Kids love them. Genuine crowd pleasers, croquettes are perfect party food as well. So, get rolling, because tomorrow, January 16, is International Croquette Day! Yes, really. 

Ham croquettes.

Potato-cheese croquettes, no bechamel required (vegetarian).

Eggplant croquettes, no bechamel required (vegetarian).

Olive oil is the best oil for frying croquettes.  Because olive oil is expensive, many cooks use lesser vegetable oils. This is false economy, as foods fried in olive oil absorb less oil than if fried in other oils. That means the oil lasts longer and it makes for less greasy food. Another advantage: olive oil, which is rich in antioxidants, can be strained and reused four or five times, whereas other oils begin to break down and really should not be used more than twice.

Don’t use your delicate and most expensive extra virgins for frying, for the simple reason that many of their flavor qualities are lost at frying temperatures. Best are extra virgin oils from Spain made from the very stable Picual olive.

You can fry croquettes in either a deep-fat fryer or a deep skillet.  You need oil deep enough to completely cover the croquettes while they are frying.

Fry food in small batches, without crowding, and allow the oil to return to frying temperature before adding a new batch.

Forget the old wives' tale about "low smoking point." Olive oil is very stable at frying temperatures, which shouldn't exceed 360ºF. Heat olive oil until it is shimmering, just beginning to waft a little smoke (360ºF). At this temperature a crust forms on the surface of the croquette, so the oil doesn’t penetrate it, but it doesn’t brown too quickly, allowing the interior of the food to cook thoroughly.

Have ready a platter lined with paper towels. Skim croquettes out of the oil and allow them to drain a few minutes.

After frying, cool the oil, strain it and store in a dark place for using again. 

Recipes for several kinds of croquettes (ham, mushroom, cheese-potato, eggplant) as well as suggestions for dipping sauces are on these posts: Pat 'Em, Roll 'Em, Throw Them in the Oil, and Eggplant, How Do I Love Thee?

Serve croquettes with a dipping sauce, such as this alioli, garlic mayonnaise. Great tapa for a drinks party.

READY FOR SOUP

A five-star vegetable soup, vegetarian or not, chock-full of vegetables, legumes and pasta. The secret to its flavor is using twice as much extra virgin olive oil as usual. The recipe is here.

 

 From where I sit, in a sunny kitchen in Atlanta, Ga., I can watch the squirrels cavorting in the tops of tall, leafless trees behind the house. So different from the pine-clad hillside I see from my kitchen window in Spain. 

The temperature has plunged from a balmy 70 degrees F. to almost freezing. I'm ready for soup! The ibérico ham is not quite ready to be hacked up for making caldo, ham broth, super flavoring for many soups, especially those with legumes. 

Over the years, I've posted, dozens of Spanish soup recipes. Here are a few of my favorites. I'm not including any of the fish or seafood soups nor gazpachos in this collection. 

Soups with legumes.

Spain has myriad potajes, cocidos and ollas that are soups/stews based on legumes. These three are more soups than stews.

This recipe from La Mancha is pinto beans cooked with ham, but it could equally be made vegetarian. It's served with an accompanying garlic sauce. Recipe for Bolos con Ajiaceite.

A real stick-to-the-ribs meal, a traditional Andalusian potaje with beans and kale instead of the usual cabbage. The recipe is here.

Beans, greens and some ham or beef go into this classic Galician soup. The greens are typically grelos, or broccoli raab, but any greens can be substituted--chard, turnip greens, collards. Recipe for Caldo Gallego.

Broths, creams and thickened soups.

This is an Andalusian version of the classic Castillian garlic soup. The soup has egg and strips of ham added to the slices of fried bread and garlicky broth.  Oranges, green onions and olives accompany the soup. Recipe for Garlic Soup (Maimones).

Tomato soup with bacon, plus a Manchego cheese flan to serve with the soup. A kid-pleasing variation has  fideo noodles too.  The recipe is here.

Sopa de Picadillo--Chicken broth with chopped garnishes, is typically made with the caldo from the grand puchero pot. It's a comforting soup, perfect for nursing a winter cold. The sprig of fresh mint is an essential final touch. The recipe is here.

Porrusalda is a Basque leek and potato soup. Get the recipe here.

A creamy carrot soup with no cream is thickened with almonds and rice. Vegan or not. The recipe is here.

A savory almond soup with greens, topped with poached egg. Recipe is here.

Robust Pork and Vegetable Soup from Navarra is chock full of meat, sausages and vegetables. Recipe for Garbure Navarro.

HOLIDAY FINALE

Almost down to the bone. Daniel slices the last of a Spanish ibérico ham, ordered in the United States from La Tienda, importers of Spanish products. Daniel orders his ham right before Thanksgiving and packs it along to gatherings during the holiday season. 

 

I brought Spanish turrón (almond nougat, both soft Jijona and crunchy Alicante) and little figures of marzipan from Spain. Just a few pieces left to finish out the holidays.

On New Year's Eve we put out the last of the pimentón-rubbed goat cheese that I brought from Spain and imported Spanish chorizo picante, Palacios brand, bought locally at World Market in Atlanta, GA. 

For our family gift exchange we had "white elephant" baskets, each  packed with themed goodies. Can you believe, I drew the Spanish foods basket? Extra virgin olive oil, a packet of serrano ham, anchovies, wine and more. I later swapped a few items from my grandson's Italian basket and contributed the oil to the family kitchen.

Among the contents of the Spain basket, a Tempranillo wine from Valdepeñas, perfect with our roast leg of lamb on New Year's Eve.

For New Year's day I'm making black-eyed peas, a Spanish recipe with a southern tradition in the U.S. Will it be chorizo or smoked southern sausage? I definitely would have added collard greens, but they didn't turn up on the grocery order. I cooked the black-eyed peas with some of the ibérico ham fat.

Black-eyed peas--good luck for the New Year. It's 75 degrees F. in Atlanta, Ga., warmer than where I live in southern Spain. 

Black-Eyed Peas with Tomato Sofrito
Potaje de Carillas con Sofrito

Serves 4.

2 cups dried black-eyed peas (14 ounces), soaked in water 8 to12 hours
½ cup sliced leek
1 cup sliced carrots or pumpkin
2 bay leaves
1 head garlic, char-roasted (see instructions below)
Pork, pork belly or ham hocks
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped green bell pepper
Red pepper flakes
½ teaspoon pimentón de la Vera (smoked paprika)
1 cup peeled, seeded, and chopped tomato
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon cumin
¼ teaspoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
Pinch of ground cloves
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon wine vinegar

Drain the soaked black-eyed peas and place them in a pot with 6 cups of fresh water. Bring to a boil and skim off the froth. Add the leek, carrots, bay leaves, cloves of char-roasted garlic and pork or ham hocks. Cover and simmer the peas 30 minutes.

Heat the oil in a skillet and sauté the onion and pepper 5 minutes. Stir in the red pepper flakes and pimentón and immediately add the tomato. Season with salt, cumin, oregano, parsley, cloves, and pepper. Cook the sofrito 8 minutes.

Add ½ cup cold water to the black-eyed peas. Bring again to a boil and stir in the sofrito. Cover and simmer until peas are very tender, 60 to 90 minutes.

Stir in the vinegar and cook 5 minutes longer.

This is an Andalusian cooking technique, used especially for potajes with legumes. Char-roasting garlic makes it easy to peel a whole head of garlic and mellows the bite of raw garlic. 

Spear the whole head of garlic on a kitchen fork (use a hot-pad to protect your hands) or grip it with tongs and roast over an open flame on a gas stove or barbecue until charred on all sides. Once cool enough to handle, rub off all the charred skin and add the cloves of garlic to the pot of black-eyed peas.