Chef Isabel
Baifo Asado Canario
Baifo Asado Canario is kid goat barrado, rubbed with garlic, pimentón, vinegar, cumin, and oregano, then roasted gently before a sharp red mojo browns the edges and wakes the pan juices.
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Cochifrito Navarro
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Cochifrito Navarro is lamb cut small, cooked through, then fried crisp-edged in lard with garlic, pimentón, and lemon. The lemon is not decoration; it keeps the richness honest.
Main Dishes
Spanish
Comfort Food
Weeknight
Budget Friendly
15 min
Active Time
40 min cook•55 min total
Yield4 servings
Cochifrito Navarro is Navarra's fried lamb: small bone-in pieces cooked through, then fried in lard with garlic, pimentón, and lemon. Esto es de Navarra, no de 'España' a secas. Castile has its cuchifrito and Aragón has its lamb roasts, but this plate is the Navarrese pan, sharp with lemon at the finish and rich without becoming heavy.
The method that decides it is in the name. Cocho, cooked, then frito, fried. Cover the lamb first so it softens in its own juices with a little water, then uncover and let every drop disappear. When the sound changes from bubbling to crackling, the meat is frying, and the edges brown while the inside stays tender. Add the pimentón off the heat because burnt pimentón is bitter, and no amount of lemon will forgive it.
If you're far from Navarra, ask for young bone-in lamb shoulder, riblets, or breast cut into 3 to 4 cm pieces. Boneless stew meat will feed you, but it won't taste as deep, and older lamb needs a little more time and a firm hand with the lemon. No hace falta haber pisado España. Use what a good butcher can give you, cut it small, and follow the pan. Siempre sale, si lo sigues.
In the Margin beside this one I wrote: lemon, not afterthought. It looks silly until you taste one bite without it.
Cochifrito Navarro belongs to Navarra's lamb country, from the Pyrenean foothills down toward the Ebro, where young lamb is cut small so meat, fat, and bone cook quickly in a shallow pan. The name is tied to cocho, from Latin coctus, cooked, joined to frito, fried; it names the two-stage method rather than pork, even though lard gives the dish its old household flavor. Garlic, pimentón, and lemon make it a plain home dish, rich from the fat but bright enough to eat without heaviness.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
bone-in young lamb shoulder, riblets, or breast
Quantity
1.2kg
cut into 3-4cm pieces
fine sea salt
Quantity
12g
lard (manteca de cerdo)
Quantity
80g
garlic
Quantity
8 cloves
unpeeled and lightly crushed
bay leaf (optional)
Quantity
1 small
water
Quantity
120ml
sweet pimentón
Quantity
4g (about 1 1/2 teaspoons)
hot pimentón (optional)
Quantity
1g (about 1/4 teaspoon)
fresh lemon juice
Quantity
45ml
from about 1 large lemon
lemon wedges (optional)
Quantity
to serve
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| bone-in young lamb shoulder, riblets, or breastcut into 3-4cm pieces | 1.2kg |
| fine sea salt | 12g |
| lard (manteca de cerdo) | 80g |
| garlicunpeeled and lightly crushed | 8 cloves |
| bay leaf (optional) | 1 small |
| water | 120ml |
| sweet pimentón | 4g (about 1 1/2 teaspoons) |
| hot pimentón (optional) | 1g (about 1/4 teaspoon) |
| fresh lemon juicefrom about 1 large lemon | 45ml |
| lemon wedges (optional) | to serve |
Equipment Needed
- •Wide heavy frying pan or shallow cazuela, about 30cm
- •Tongs
- •Splatter screen
- •Small citrus juicer
Instructions
- 1
Cut and salt
Ask the butcher to chop the lamb through the bone into 3 to 4 cm pieces. At home, wipe away any bone dust and pat the meat very dry. Toss it with the 12 g salt and let it stand while you set out the pan. Pésalo, no lo adivines, weigh it, don't guess; small lamb pieces over-salt quickly.
If you can only get boneless lamb, cut it into 3 cm pieces and reduce the covered cooking by a few minutes. It will be easier to eat, but the pan juices won't be as deep. - 2
Cook covered
Melt the lard in a wide heavy pan over medium heat. Add the lamb, garlic cloves, and bay leaf if using, and turn everything until the meat is coated. Pour in the water, cover the pan, lower the heat to medium-low, and cook for 18 to 22 minutes, turning once or twice, until the lamb has tightened and a skewer slides into the thicker pieces without a fight. It is cooking now, not browning yet.
- 3
Fry the lamb
Uncover the pan and raise the heat to medium-high. Let the liquid boil away completely; when the sound changes from wet bubbling to a dry crackle, start turning the pieces often. Fry for 10 to 14 minutes, until the edges are deep golden brown and the fat in the pan looks clear and glossy. This is the step: cook first, fry second.
If the lamb browns before it is tender, add 3 tablespoons of water, cover for 5 minutes, then uncover and fry again. The pan tells you what it needs. - 4
Add pimentón
Take the pan off the heat. Push the lamb to one side, sprinkle the sweet pimentón, and the hot pimentón if using, into the lard, and stir for 10 seconds before turning it through the meat. Pimentón burns fast; scorched, it makes the whole pan bitter.
- 5
Finish with lemon
Squeeze in the lemon juice, return the pan to medium heat for 30 seconds, and toss hard, scraping up the sticky browned bits so the lemon and pimentón-stained lard coat every piece. Taste one piece and add a pinch more salt or a little more lemon if it needs lifting. Rest 5 minutes, then serve with the fried garlic and lemon wedges.
Chef Tips
- •Buy young lamb with some bone: shoulder, riblets, or breast. Boneless cubes are tidy, but tidiness is not flavor. Bone and fat give the little pieces the depth this dish needs.
- •If you can't find Navarrese or milk-fed lamb, use young spring lamb and trim any heavy, waxy fat. Older lamb tastes stronger, so give it a few extra covered minutes and keep the lemon finish firm.
- •Use lard if you can. Mild olive oil works when it must, but the result tastes cleaner and less round. Butter is not the answer here.
- •Add the pimentón only after the frying is done and the pan is off the heat. Burnt pimentón is bitter, and once it happens you can't hide it.
- •Serve it straight away with bread for the pan juices, fried potatoes if you want a fuller plate, and a sharp green salad. A young Navarra Garnacha or a dry Navarra rosado sits well beside it.
Advance Preparation
- •The lamb can be chopped and salted up to 12 hours ahead; keep it covered in the refrigerator and bring it out 25 minutes before cooking so the lard does not seize cold around it.
- •Cochifrito is best just made. Leftovers keep 2 days, but reheat them in a wide pan with a spoon of water first, then let the fat fry the edges again.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 210g)
Calories
735 calories
Total Fat
66 g
Saturated Fat
25 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
35 g
Cholesterol
155 mg
Sodium
1290 mg
Total Carbohydrates
2 g
Dietary Fiber
0 g
Sugars
0 g
Protein
31 g
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