Cazón en Adobo Gaditano

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Glass or ceramic nonreactive bowl
• •Sieve or colander
• •Wide heavy frying pan
• •Frying thermometer
• •Wire rack set over a tray
• •Spider or slotted spoon

Instructions

1. 1

   Trim the fish

   Ask the fishmonger to skin the cazón and remove any central cartilage, then cut it into 3cm cubes. Pat the pieces dry before they go into the adobo. The fish should smell clean and of the sea; if it smells sharp or ammoniac, leave it at the market.

   Cazón is a shark, so sourcing matters. If your fishmonger cannot get good, responsibly sourced dogfish, use monkfish and adjust the marinating time.
2. 2

   Mix the adobo

   In a glass or ceramic bowl, whisk the vinegar, cold water, crushed garlic, oregano, cumin, pimentón, bay leaves, salt, and cracked pepper. The water matters; straight vinegar bullies the fish. This adobo should smell sharp, garlicky, and warm from the cumin.

3. 3

   Marinate overnight

   Add the cazón and turn every piece through the adobo. Cover and refrigerate for 8 to 12 hours, turning once if you remember. This is the method that decides the dish: one hour only seasons the surface, but the overnight soak gives Cádiz its bite.

   For monkfish, marinate 6 to 8 hours. For firm cod or hake, use 3 to 4 hours only, or the vinegar will make the flakes too tight.
4. 4

   Drain without rinsing

   Lift the fish into a sieve, discard the adobo, and remove the garlic and bay. Let the pieces drain for 15 minutes, then pat them so the surface is damp but not wet. Do not rinse. You waited for that flavor, so keep it.

5. 5

   Heat the oil

   Pour the olive oil into a wide heavy pan to a depth of about 4cm and heat it to 180C. Set a wire rack over a tray, or use clean paper if that is what you have. Put the frying flour in a shallow dish with a small pinch of salt.

6. 6

   Flour and shake

   Flour only one batch at a time. Toss the drained fish in the harina para freír, press lightly so it catches, then shake off more than you think you should. The coating should be thin and powdery, not a paste.

   If you cannot find Spanish frying flour, mix plain flour with fine semolina. The semolina gives the rough, crisp edge that ordinary flour alone misses.
7. 7

   Fry in batches

   Slide the fish into the oil in small batches, leaving space between the pieces. Fry for 2 to 3 minutes, turning once, until the crust is pale gold and crisp and the fish is opaque inside. Keep the oil between 175C and 180C; crowded oil drops cold and the coating drinks it.

8. 8

   Serve at once

   Drain the cazón on the rack and salt it lightly while the crust still has its olive-oil gloss. Pile it on paper or a warm plate and serve at once with lemon wedges, if you like. A squeeze is enough. Don't drown the adobo; it already has its vinegar.

Chef Tips

• •The dogfish must be fresh and well handled. A sharp ammonia smell is not character, it is bad fish. Buy from a fishmonger you trust and ask for it skinned.
• •The adobo is the dish. Vinegar, garlic, oregano, cumin, and pimentón need time to enter the fish, so give it the full overnight soak for cazón.
• •Drain well but never rinse. Rinsing steals the adobo, and wet fish turns the flour into paste before it reaches the oil.
• •Use harina para freír pescado if you can. If not, plain flour mixed with fine semolina gives a closer crust than plain flour alone.
• •Serve with fino or manzanilla, cold and dry. Bread is useful for the table, but the fish itself wants to be eaten straight from the fryer.

Advance Preparation

• •Marinate the cazón 8 to 12 hours ahead, covered in the refrigerator. Overnight is right for dogfish.
• •The fish can be drained up to 30 minutes before frying and kept chilled. Flour it only at the last minute.
• •This is not a fried dish to hold for later. The make-ahead part is the adobo; the frying happens when people are ready to eat.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 145g)