Vieja Sancochada Canaria

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Wide caldero or fish kettle, at least 34cm
• •Lidded saucepan, about 24cm
• •Large mortar and pestle or small blender
• •Two broad fish spatulas
• •Thin skewer
• •Instant-read thermometer

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the mojo

   Pound the cumin seeds, garlic, and 5g coarse salt in a mortar until they form a rough paste. Add the chopped green pepper and coriander a little at a time, crushing until thoroughly bruised but still flecked. Work in the vinegar, then stir in the olive oil. The mojo verde should be loose, sharp, and visibly speckled, not beaten into a smooth green cream. Leave it to settle while you cook.

   A small blender works if you don't have a mortar. Pulse the garlic, cumin, pepper, and coriander first, then pulse briefly with the vinegar and oil. Stop while the sauce still has texture.
2. 2

   Wrinkle the potatoes

   Set the scrubbed potatoes in a snug pot, add 1.5L cold water or just enough to cover them, and pour in the 250g coarse salt. Bring to a steady boil and cook uncovered for 18 to 22 minutes, until a thin skewer passes through the largest potato without resistance. Drain every drop of water, return the pot to low heat, and shake it gently for 2 to 3 minutes. The skins will wrinkle and take on a fine white salt crust. Set them aside uncovered.

3. 3

   Build the liquor

   While the potatoes cook, combine the 3L water, 54g fine salt, onion, tomato, green pepper, and parsley in a wide caldero or fish kettle. Bring it to a full boil, then simmer for 12 minutes so the vegetables give the water a light, clean flavor. Push the vegetables toward the edges to leave room for the fish.

4. 4

   Lower in the vieja

   Wipe the fish cavities clean and check that the gills are gone, but do not scrape off the heavy scales. Lower the heat until the poaching liquor reaches 88-92°C, with only an occasional bubble breaking near the edge, then slip in the fish side by side. Those scales are their cooking jacket and help keep the delicate flesh together.

5. 5

   Poach without boiling

   Partially cover the pot and hold the liquid just below the boil for 12 minutes. If the fish are not fully submerged, turn them once after 6 minutes using two broad spatulas. Check the thickest part beside the backbone: the flesh should be opaque, release cleanly from the bone, and reach 63°C. Give it another 2 minutes if needed. A rolling boil knocks the tender flakes apart, so quiet water is the whole method here.

6. 6

   Drain and serve

   Lift each vieja onto an oval platter with two broad spatulas and let it drain for 2 minutes. Set the papas arrugadas alongside. At the table, lift away the scaled skin in sections, divide the pearly flesh from the backbone, and spoon over a little mojo verde. Put the remaining mojo in a bowl so each person can add more. Siempre sale, si lo sigues, it turns out if you follow it.

Chef Tips

• •Ask specifically for Sparisoma cretense from a legal, traceable catch. If it isn't available, use whole dorada or red porgy rather than another tropical parrotfish; the substitute will be firmer and less sweet, but it behaves properly in the pot.
• •Tell the fishmonger to gut the vieja and remove the gills without scaling it. The large scales protect the flesh during cooking and come away easily with the skin at the table.
• •Use small, waxy potatoes of similar size so they finish together. The great quantity of salt belongs in the cooking water; most stays behind, leaving a white crust and a lightly seasoned centre.
• •Coriander mojo is common with fish in the islands. Flat-leaf parsley can replace it gram for gram for another Canarian version, milder and less citrusy but still right with the vieja.
• •A dry Canarian white made from Listán Blanco suits this plate. Serve it cool rather than icy, or the wine loses the mineral edge that works so well with the fish and vinegar.
• •Cool leftover fish within 2 hours and refrigerate it covered for no more than 1 day. Warm it very gently in a little reserved poaching liquor; hard reheating turns delicate vieja dry.

Advance Preparation

• •Make the mojo verde up to 24 hours ahead and refrigerate it covered. Bring it out 30 minutes before serving and stir well, as the oil and vinegar separate while it rests.
• •The vegetable poaching liquor can be simmered up to 4 hours ahead. Cool and refrigerate it, then bring it back to a boil and lower it to 88-92°C before adding the fish.
• •Have the vieja cleaned on the day you cook it and keep it well chilled. Do not salt it in advance; salt draws moisture from the delicate flesh. Cook it only when everyone is nearly ready to eat.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 450g)