Sancocho Canario con Mojo Rojo

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Large non-reactive container with a lid for desalting
• •Wide heavy pot, about 6 litres
• •Large mortar and pestle or small food processor
• •Slotted spoon or fish slice
• •Large serving platter

Instructions

1. 1

   Desalt the cherne

   Rinse the salt from the cherne and place the pieces in a non-reactive container, skin side up. Cover with 3 litres of cold water and refrigerate for 24 hours, replacing the water every 6 hours so the fish has four fresh soakings. After 24 hours, cut off a small flake and simmer it separately for 1 minute before tasting. It should remain pleasantly seasoned, not sharply salty. Give very thick pieces another 6 to 12 hours if needed.

   Keep the fish refrigerated throughout desalting. Cold water and time draw the salt out evenly while the flesh rehydrates; warm counter soaking is unsafe and leaves you guessing.
2. 2

   Build the red mojo

   Cover the dried peppers with just-boiled water and leave them for 20 minutes. Drain them, reserving 30ml of the water, then scrape the softened flesh from the skins. Grind the cumin seeds and coarse salt in a mortar, add the garlic, and pound to a paste. Work in the pepper flesh and pimentón, followed by the vinegar. Pour in the olive oil gradually, stirring rather than whipping, and loosen with the reserved pepper water. Let the mojo rojo rest for at least 30 minutes.

   The mojo should be loose, red, and slightly grainy, with oil that settles when it stands. Stir before serving. A smooth orange emulsion is not what this plate needs.
3. 3

   Start the papas

   Put the whole potatoes in a wide 6-litre pot and cover them with about 3 litres of fresh cold water, or enough to stand 2cm above them. Do not add salt. Bring to a steady simmer and cook for 12 minutes. Add the sweet potato and simmer for another 8 minutes. A knife should enter a potato with resistance at the centre; it must not be fully tender yet.

4. 4

   Poach the fish

   Lay the drained cherne over the tubers, adding a little hot water only if the pieces are not covered. Lower the heat immediately and hold the liquid at a gentle tremble for 8 to 10 minutes. Never let it roll hard. The fish is ready when the centre is opaque and separates into broad, moist flakes, while the potatoes yield cleanly to a knife.

   Cherne is firm, but boiling still tightens it. Gentle water lets the rehydrated flesh stay silky, which is the reward for that full day of soaking.
5. 5

   Dry the tubers

   Reserve 160ml of the cooking liquid, then lift out the fish carefully and keep it covered. Drain the potatoes and sweet potato. Return the tubers to the empty pot over very low heat for 1 to 2 minutes, shaking the pot gently until their surfaces dry and the potato skins wrinkle lightly. Remove any sweet potato piece that begins to crumble.

6. 6

   Knead the gofio pella

   Taste the reserved cooking liquid. If it is fiercely salty, use fresh warm water instead. Put the gofio in a bowl with the tablespoon of olive oil and the sugar, if your household likes that slight sweetness. Work in 120ml of liquid, then add the remaining 20ml a teaspoon at a time while kneading. Stop when you have a firm, pliable dough that holds together without sticking. Shape it into a 5cm-thick cylinder and cut it into sturdy slices.

   Gofio is already roasted, so the pella needs no further cooking. If it cracks, knead in another teaspoon of water; if it sticks, add 10g more gofio.
7. 7

   Set out the sancocho

   Arrange the cherne, wrinkled papas, sweet potato, and slices of pella on one large platter. Spoon a modest amount of mojo over one piece of fish and a potato, then pass the rest separately so each person can add their own. The fish should taste seasoned, the sweet potato should soften that salt, and the sharp mojo should wake up both. Check carefully for bones as you eat.

Chef Tips

• •Ask for true salt-cured cherne, not fresh wreckfish dusted with salt and not smoked fish. Salt-cured corvina is another Canarian choice. Abroad, thick centre-cut salt cod is the practical substitute; it is less meaty and separates into flakes sooner.
• •Salt curing varies, so test after 24 hours by simmering and tasting a small flake. If it remains aggressively salty, return the fish to fresh cold water for another 6 hours. Do not judge by tasting it raw.
• •Use small waxy potatoes because they hold together during the final drying. A white or yellow sweet potato is firmer and less wet than an orange one; if orange is all you have, cut it larger and begin checking it early.
• •Canarian gofio de millo is flour made from roasted maize. Another finely ground, unsweetened roasted maize flour can make the pella, though its roast and texture will differ. Raw cornmeal is not a substitute because it has not been cooked.
• •A dry Listán Blanco or Malvasía Seco from the Canary Islands suits the salt fish and vinegar-bright mojo. Keep the sweet Malvasía for another table.
• •Refrigerate leftover fish and tubers within 2 hours and eat them within 2 days. Reheat gently with a spoonful of water; hard heat makes the cherne dry. Keep the mojo refrigerated in a closed jar and use it within 4 days.

Advance Preparation

• •Begin desalting the cherne at least 24 hours before cooking. Replace 3 litres of cold water every 6 hours and allow another 6 to 12 hours for unusually thick pieces.
• •The mojo rojo can be made up to 3 days ahead and refrigerated in a closed jar. Bring it out 30 minutes before serving and stir well because the oil naturally separates.
• •The gofio pella can be kneaded up to 4 hours ahead, wrapped tightly, and kept at cool room temperature. Cook the fish and tubers shortly before the meal because reheating takes tenderness from both.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 710g)