Sancocho Canario con Mojo Rojo

Sancocho Canario belongs to the Canary Islands, especially Gran Canaria: thick pieces of salt-cured cherne, skin-on papas, sweet potato, red mojo, and a firm pella of gofio. The salty white fish, sweet tuber, sharp sauce, and roasted grain are what mark the plate as Canarian. It is Easter food and family-table food, substantial without being fussy.

The one thing that decides it is the desalting. Give the fish 24 to 36 hours in plenty of cold water in the refrigerator, changing that water regularly. Time draws the salt evenly from the centre while putting moisture back into the flesh. Rush it and the outside tastes washed while the thickest part still bites with salt. I test a small cooked flake before committing the whole pot. The clock advises; the fish answers.

No hace falta haber pisado España, you don't need to have set foot in Spain. If salt-cured cherne cannot be found, use thick centre-cut salt cod. It breaks into broader flakes and is less meaty, so handle it gently and begin checking it two minutes earlier. Gofio de millo is worth ordering because no raw cornmeal gives the same roasted taste, but another unsweetened roasted maize flour will make a sound pella.

Cook the tubers first, add the fish only when the potatoes are nearly tender, and keep the water at a tremble. Set everything down with the mojo passed separately. My Margin carries one short correction beside this dish: taste the fish, not the soaking water. Siempre sale, si lo sigues. It turns out if you follow it.