Morcilla Asturiana Frita

Morcilla Asturiana belongs to Asturias, and Asturias makes its blood sausage with onion, pimentón, and smoke, not rice. That matters. Rice morcilla from Burgos is a fine thing, but it is not this. This one is softer, darker, smoky from the curing house, and built to season fabada as much as to be eaten on its own.

When I serve it as a ración, I cook it gently first and let the casing do its work. Too much heat and the morcilla bursts, spilling its soft onion filling into the pan before it has had time to warm through. Low heat first, then a brief stronger fry for colour. That is the method that decides it.

If you are far from Asturias, buy the closest Spanish smoked onion morcilla you can find. If all you have is unsmoked blood sausage, add a small pinch of pimentón de la Vera to the oil and accept the difference: you will get warmth and smoke in the pan, but not the deep curing-house flavour in the sausage itself. No hace falta haber pisado España. You do need the right sausage, a steady hand with the heat, and bread for the oil. Siempre sale, si lo sigues.