AI-generated image
Sancocho canario
Salt fish with potatoes and mojo
Sancocho canario: salt-cured cherne fish with potatoes, sweet potatoes, mojo and gofio
Sancocho is the Canary Islands' Good Friday dish and a Sunday favourite in Gran Canaria, where whole families sit down to a platter of desalted cherne (wreckfish), boiled potatoes and sweet potatoes, red mojo poured over the top and a ball of pella de gofio on the side. Salted cherne is soaked for a day or two in the fridge to draw out the salt, then poached gently. If you cannot find cherne, salt cod or fresh hake works well. Chef's tip: before cooking, poach a small flake in boiling water for a minute and taste it; it should be pleasantly seasoned, like well-salted fresh fish, and if it is still briny, soak a few hours more.
- Total time
- 60 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the fish and vegetables
- 1 ¾ lb salted cherne or thick salt codin large pieces
- 1 ¾ lb small potatoespeeled
- 1 ⅓ lb sweet potatoespeeled, in large chunks
- 1 onionhalved
- 10 ½ cups water
For the red mojo
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tbsp sweet paprika
- ½ tsp salt
- 3 tbsp red wine vinegar
- ½ cup olive oil
To serve
- 4 pieces pella de gofio (gofio kneaded with water and a little sugar) (optional)
Shop this recipe on Amazon
What you'll need
Spices & pantry
Fresh ingredients (4)
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Rinse the 1 ¾ lb salted cherne or thick salt cod and soak in plenty of cold water in the fridge, covered, for 24–48 hours, changing the water 3–4 times a day, until a small flake, poached for a minute in boiling water, tastes pleasantly salty rather than briny. A common mistake is soaking at room temperature; it must stay in the fridge.
5 minStep 2: Put the 1 ¾ lb small potatoes, 1 ⅓ lb sweet potatoes and 1 onion in a large pot with the 10 ½ cups water, bring to the boil and simmer for 15 minutes until almost tender.
17 minStep 3: Lower the heat so the water barely trembles and add the drained fish. Poach for 10–12 minutes until the flesh is opaque and flakes easily. Do not add salt: the fish seasons the pot.
12 minStep 4: Meanwhile pound the 4 cloves garlic, ½ tsp salt and 1 tsp ground cumin in a mortar to a paste. Stir in the 1 tbsp sweet paprika, ½ tsp hot paprika or chilli flakes and 3 tbsp red wine vinegar, then the ½ cup olive oil.
6 minStep 5: Lift out the fish, potatoes and sweet potatoes with a slotted spoon, remove any bones and skin from the fish, and arrange on a warm platter. Spoon the mojo over and serve with 4 pieces pella de gofio (gofio kneaded with water and a little sugar) on the side.
5 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 640 kcal
- Protein
- 48 g
- Carbs
- 64 g
- Fat
- 22 g
- Fibre
- 7 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does sancocho canario take?
- About 60 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 40 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of small potatoes?
- Sweet potato, same weight (sweeter, cooks a little faster).
- What can I use instead of sweet potatoes?
- Sweet potato, same weight (sweeter, cooks a little faster).
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
Moreton Bay bugsSlipper lobster with garlic butter
Moreton Bay bugs are the flat, shovel-nosed slipper lobsters caught off the Queensland coast around Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast, and for Queenslanders they are a summer treat, split and grilled at the beach house. The tail meat is sweet and rich, somewhere between lobster and prawn. Buy them raw, frozen or fresh, from a fishmonger and ask them to halve them if you like. A common mistake is overcooking, which makes the meat rubbery; it is ready the moment it turns white. Chef's tip: grill flesh side down first to mark it, then turn and baste in the shell.
Australian
Midia saganakiMussels with tomato and feta
Thessaloniki is Greece's mussel capital, with farms in the Thermaic Gulf a few kilometres from the seafront ouzeries where this two-handled pan arrives, still bubbling, at the table. Mussels steam open in a quick sauce of peppers, tomato and chilli, and crumbled feta melts into the juices at the end. Bread is essential. The classic version adds a splash of ouzo; this one is alcohol-free, using a pinch of fennel seed for that aniseed note (add 2 tbsp ouzo with the tomatoes if you like). Common mistake: overcooking — take the pan off the heat as soon as the shells open. Chef's tip: buy mussels on the day and keep them in the fridge in a bowl covered with a damp cloth, never in water.
Greek
Arroz con pitu de caleyaSoupy rice with chicken
A pitu de caleya is a cockerel raised free in the lanes, or caleyas, of rural Asturias; its firm, flavourful meat needs long stewing, and families around Villaviciosa and Grado still cook it for feast days. The stew is often finished as a soupy rice, so the deep chicken juices go into every grain. Use the best free-range chicken you can find. The braise includes dry white wine; replace it with extra stock and a squeeze of lemon if you want it alcohol-free. Chef's tip: brown the chicken slowly and deeply; that colour is where the flavour of the whole pot comes from.