Chef Isabel
Afuega'l Pitu Roxu
Afuega'l Pitu Roxu is Asturias in a small cheese: cow's milk set slowly to a dense curd, drained without squeezing, then kneaded with pimentón until it turns orange and grips the throat.
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Queso Asado con Mojo Canario
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Queso asado con mojo is Canarian cheese at its plain best: firm goat cheese blistered on a hot plancha, then spooned with sharp red or green mojo and eaten before it slumps.
Appetizers & Snacks
Spanish
Quick Meal
Outdoor Dining
Comfort Food
20 min
Active Time
6 min cook•26 min total
Yield4 servings, with extra mojo
Queso asado con mojo is Canarian: firm goat cheese, often palmero from La Palma or majorero from Fuerteventura, seared on a plancha until it blisters, then covered with mojo verde or mojo rojo. This is cheese with a browned skin and a soft heart, not a melted pot for dipping. The mojo matters, but the cheese decides it.
The method is simple and unforgiving in a useful way. Cut the cheese thick, dry the surface, and put it on a properly hot plancha with almost no oil. If the pan is timid, the cheese weeps and slumps. If the pan is hot, it browns before it has time to run. That is the whole trick.
Far from the islands, look for a firm semi-cured goat cheese that holds its shape when warmed. Halloumi works at a pinch, but it is saltier and squeaks under the teeth, so salt the mojo lightly and know the center will be springier. Make one mojo or both, spoon it over while the cheese is hot, and eat it at once. No hace falta haber pisado España. Siempre sale, si lo sigues.
In the Margin beside this one I keep only one warning: cheese that melts is for another day.
Queso asado con mojo belongs to the Canary Islands, where goat cheeses such as palmero from La Palma and majorero from Fuerteventura have long been part of the household larder. The islands' mojos, red with dried pepper and pimentón or green with cilantro, garlic, cumin, vinegar, and oil, match a seafaring pantry and a landscape where potatoes, fish, meat, and cheese all need a sharp sauce beside them. In guachinches and home kitchens, the cheese is cooked to order because the pleasure is brief: blistered surface, soft center, sauce running over the edge.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
queso palmero, queso majorero, or firm semi-cured goat cheese
Quantity
450g
cut into 4 slabs about 2cm thick
olive oil, for the plancha or pan
Quantity
1 teaspoon
green pepper, for mojo verde
Quantity
1 small, about 80g
seeded and chopped
fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems, for mojo verde
Quantity
30g
garlic, for mojo verde
Quantity
2 cloves
peeled
cumin seeds or ground cumin, for mojo verde
Quantity
1/2 teaspoon
coarse salt, for mojo verde
Quantity
1/2 teaspoon
white wine vinegar, for mojo verde
Quantity
1 tablespoon
extra virgin olive oil, for mojo verde
Quantity
75ml
water, for loosening mojo verde (optional)
Quantity
1 to 2 tablespoons
dried pimienta palmera or ñora pepper, or sweet pimentón, for mojo rojo
Quantity
1 dried pepper or 2 teaspoons
soaked and scraped if using dried pepper
garlic, for mojo rojo
Quantity
2 cloves
peeled
cumin seeds or ground cumin, for mojo rojo
Quantity
1/2 teaspoon
coarse salt, for mojo rojo
Quantity
1/2 teaspoon
day-old bread, for mojo rojo
Quantity
20g
soaked and squeezed
white wine vinegar, for mojo rojo
Quantity
1 tablespoon
extra virgin olive oil, for mojo rojo
Quantity
75ml
small dried chile or hot pimentón, for mojo rojo (optional)
Quantity
1 small dried chile or 1/4 teaspoon
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| queso palmero, queso majorero, or firm semi-cured goat cheesecut into 4 slabs about 2cm thick | 450g |
| olive oil, for the plancha or pan | 1 teaspoon |
| green pepper, for mojo verdeseeded and chopped | 1 small, about 80g |
| fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems, for mojo verde | 30g |
| garlic, for mojo verdepeeled | 2 cloves |
| cumin seeds or ground cumin, for mojo verde | 1/2 teaspoon |
| coarse salt, for mojo verde | 1/2 teaspoon |
| white wine vinegar, for mojo verde | 1 tablespoon |
| extra virgin olive oil, for mojo verde | 75ml |
| water, for loosening mojo verde (optional) | 1 to 2 tablespoons |
| dried pimienta palmera or ñora pepper, or sweet pimentón, for mojo rojosoaked and scraped if using dried pepper | 1 dried pepper or 2 teaspoons |
| garlic, for mojo rojopeeled | 2 cloves |
| cumin seeds or ground cumin, for mojo rojo | 1/2 teaspoon |
| coarse salt, for mojo rojo | 1/2 teaspoon |
| day-old bread, for mojo rojosoaked and squeezed | 20g |
| white wine vinegar, for mojo rojo | 1 tablespoon |
| extra virgin olive oil, for mojo rojo | 75ml |
| small dried chile or hot pimentón, for mojo rojo (optional) | 1 small dried chile or 1/4 teaspoon |
Equipment Needed
- •Cast-iron plancha or heavy frying pan
- •Mortar and pestle or blender
- •Thin metal spatula
- •Kitchen scale
Instructions
- 1
Ready the cheese
Cut the cheese into four slabs about 2cm thick and pat them very dry with kitchen paper. Leave them on a plate for 10 minutes while you make the mojo, just enough to take the hard chill off without letting the cheese soften. A wet surface stews before it browns, and this dish wants blistered patches.
Do not use a fresh goat log, brie, or any cheese made to melt. That is cheese for another plate. For this, you need a firm cheese that keeps its shape under heat. - 2
Make green mojo
For mojo verde, pound or blend the green pepper, cilantro, garlic, cumin, and salt until rough and green. Add the vinegar, then work in the olive oil until the sauce is loose enough to spoon but still has a little texture. Add 1 or 2 tablespoons water if it sits too thick. Taste it against the cheese, not alone; the sauce should be sharp because the cheese is rich.
- 3
Make red mojo
For mojo rojo, if using a dried pepper, soak it in hot water for 15 minutes, then scrape out the soft flesh and discard the skin and seeds. Pound or blend that flesh, or the sweet pimentón, with the garlic, cumin, salt, soaked bread, vinegar, and the optional chile or hot pimentón. Work in the olive oil until brick red and spoonable. Keep pimentón away from direct heat; scorched pimentón turns bitter, and there is no fixing it.
- 4
Heat the plancha
Set a cast-iron plancha or heavy frying pan over medium-high heat for 3 to 4 minutes. Film it with 1 teaspoon olive oil, then wipe so there is only a shine left. The pan must be properly hot before the cheese goes in. Too cool, and the cheese leaks before it browns.
Work in two batches if your pan is small. Crowding cools the surface, and the cheese will slump instead of blister. - 5
Blister the cheese
Lay the cheese slabs in the hot pan and leave them alone for 60 to 90 seconds, until the underside has browned spots and releases cleanly. Turn with a thin spatula and cook the second side for 45 to 60 seconds. The edges should soften and the middle should give when pressed, but the slab should still hold together. If it starts to run, lift it out at once; the cheese has told you enough.
- 6
Sauce and eat
Move the cheese to a warm plate and spoon mojo verde, mojo rojo, or both over the top while the surface is still glossy from the pan. Serve straight away with bread for chasing the sauce. Queso asado waits for no one, which is not rudeness, just dairy telling the truth.
Chef Tips
- •Queso palmero is the one I look for first, especially a firm smoked goat cheese from La Palma. Queso majorero from Fuerteventura also works well. If neither is near you, use a firm semi-cured goat cheese and test one small piece before committing the whole slab.
- •Halloumi is the useful substitute far from the Canaries. It holds its shape beautifully, but it is saltier and springier, so use less salt in the mojo and expect a firmer bite.
- •The mojo can be made in a mortar or blender. A mortar gives a rougher, better home texture; a blender is fine if you stop before it turns perfectly smooth. This is sauce for grilled cheese, not a dressing from a bottle.
- •Eat the cheese as soon as it is sauced. Leftover mojo keeps well, but leftover grilled cheese turns tough. That is not failure, it is just the nature of the dish.
Advance Preparation
- •Both mojos can be made up to 2 days ahead. Keep them covered in the refrigerator, then bring to room temperature and stir before serving.
- •The cheese can be cut up to 4 hours ahead and kept covered in the refrigerator. Pat it dry again just before cooking.
- •Do not grill the cheese ahead. The whole point is the brief moment between browned outside and soft center.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 195g)
Calories
780 calories
Total Fat
72 g
Saturated Fat
31 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
40 g
Cholesterol
100 mg
Sodium
1460 mg
Total Carbohydrates
7 g
Dietary Fiber
1 g
Sugars
2 g
Protein
28 g
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