Caldillo de Pintarroja Malagueño

Caldillo de Pintarroja is Malagueño, a fish soup from Málaga's coast built from the small dogfish called pintarroja, potato, tomato, fried bread, almonds, and pimentón. It isn't a grand seafood stew. It's the other face of the freiduría, the fried-fish shop: cheap fish made into a bowl with body, brightness, and enough depth to eat with a spoon.

The method that decides it is the majao, the pounded paste of fried bread, almonds, and garlic. Fry those three until golden, pound them smooth, then let the paste dissolve into the sofrito, the slow onion and tomato base, and the broth. That is what thickens the soup and gives it its toasted flavor. Flour would make it dull, and raw garlic would shout over the fish.

Far from Málaga, ask for pintarroja, small dogfish, catshark, or cazón. Smoothhound works too. If the counter only has monkfish or firm hake, use it, but make the soup with fish stock instead of water and cook the fish a minute or two less because it won't give the same gelatin. No hace falta haber pisado España. You need clean-smelling fish and a proper majao.

My Margin for this one has two words: smell first. Pintarroja that smells sharp or ammoniac has been waiting too long; leave it and cook another fish. With clean fish, a slow sofrito, and the bread and almonds weighed, siempre sale, si lo sigues.