Greixonera de Peix Mallorquina

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Wide oven-safe greixonera or shallow earthenware casserole, 30 to 32cm
• •Heavy frying pan, about 28cm
• •Mortar and pestle
• •Instant-read thermometer

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare fish and pot

   Heat the oven to 190°C conventional, 170°C fan, or 375°F. Check that every fish portion is roughly 4 to 5cm thick so it cooks at the same rate. Pat the fish dry, season it with 4g of the salt and half the pepper, and leave it in the refrigerator while you build the base. Bring the greixonera to room temperature and follow its maker's instructions for soaking or preheating; earthenware dislikes sudden changes of temperature.

   Ask the fishmonger to remove sharp fins, scales, and gills, then cut the fish through the bone. Those bones give the cooking liquid its body, but they belong in the pot, not under your knife at home.
2. 2

   Cook the sofrito

   Warm 60ml of the olive oil in a 28cm frying pan over low heat. Add the onion and 2g salt, then cook for 18 to 20 minutes, stirring now and then, until soft and dark gold. Mince 2 garlic cloves, add them, and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the grated tomato and cook gently for another 18 to 22 minutes, until the mixture is thick, sweet, and nearly dry, with oil showing around the edges. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the pebre bord so it smells warm and fruity without scorching.

3. 3

   Start the potatoes

   Coat the base of a 30 to 32cm greixonera with 30ml olive oil. Arrange the potato slices in two loose overlapping layers and season with 3g salt and the remaining pepper. Spread half the sofrito over them, then pour in the wine and fish stock. Cover tightly with a lid or foil and bake for 30 minutes. A knife should pass through a potato slice with slight resistance; it should not yet fall apart.

   If you are using a heavy ceramic baking dish instead of clay, begin checking the potatoes after 25 minutes. Ceramic heats faster and holds a little less gentle warmth than a thick greixonera.
4. 4

   Make the picada

   While the potatoes bake, pound the remaining 2 garlic cloves with 1g salt in a mortar until smooth. Work in the chopped parsley and the final 10ml olive oil to make a loose picada, the garlic and herb mixture that seasons the fish from the surface down. A knife and small bowl will do if you have no mortar, but mince everything very finely.

5. 5

   Bake the fish

   Uncover the greixonera and arrange the fish portions over the potatoes in a single layer, leaving a little space between them. Spoon over the remaining sofrito, then spread the picada across the fish. Return the pot to the oven uncovered for 18 to 22 minutes. The sauce should bubble around the edges, the potato tips should be gold, and the fish should look opaque at its thickest point and part cleanly from the bone. A thermometer inserted away from the bone should read 63°C or 145°F.

6. 6

   Rest and serve

   Set the greixonera on a dry wooden board or folded cloth, never a cold or wet surface, and rest it for 8 minutes. The potatoes will drink in a little more of the tomato-rich liquid while the fish settles. Carry the pot to the table and serve one fish portion with plenty of potatoes and the juices spooned from underneath. Tal como se hace allí.

Chef Tips

• •The fish matters more than a long list of species. Buy whatever firm, very fresh rock fish the market has and keep the pieces even. Clear eyes, red gills, firm flesh, and a clean smell tell you more than a grand name on the label.
• •If Mallorcan rock fish is unavailable, use 900g to 1kg of thick bone-in hake, monkfish, or sea bass. Boneless fillets also work, but use proper fish stock rather than water and begin checking them after 12 minutes; the sauce will have less body.
• •Use fresh tomatoes when they are ripe and smell of tomato. Outside their season, replace them with 400g canned whole plum tomatoes, drained and crushed. The sofrito will taste deeper and less fresh, a small compromise in a cooked dish.
• •A greixonera should be wide enough to hold the fish in one layer. If yours is unglazed, follow the potter's care instructions, often a 20-minute soak before use. Never move hot clay onto stone, metal, or a wet counter, because thermal shock can split it.
• •Serve this with a dry Mallorcan white made from Prensal Blanc if you can find one. Otherwise choose a dry, unoaked white and use the same bottle in the pot. Sweet or heavily oaked wine will sit on the fish like a blanket.
• •Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours and eat them within 1 day. Reheat once, covered, at 160°C or 325°F until the centre reaches 63°C or 145°F; repeated heating dries the fish.

Advance Preparation

• •The sofrito can be cooked up to 2 days ahead, cooled promptly, and kept covered in the refrigerator. Warm it gently before assembling the potatoes.
• •The potatoes can complete their first covered bake up to 2 hours before serving. Keep the covered pot at room temperature, then add the cold fish and allow an extra 2 to 4 minutes in the oven.
• •Have the fish cleaned and portioned by the fishmonger on the day you cook it. Keep it below 4°C and season it no more than 30 minutes before baking.
• •Do not bake the fish ahead. The dish waits well for its 8-minute rest, but not for an afternoon; once cooked, bring the greixonera to the table.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 450g)