Category: Recipe

Canarian Baked Hake with Vegetables

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Canarian Recipes: Merluza al horno con verduras

For 4 people
* 4 fillets or slices of hake
* 2 medium potatoes
* 1 large onion
* 1 green pepper (optional)
* 1 red pepper (optional)
* 1 courgette or carrot (optional)
* 2–3 cloves of garlic
* Extra virgin olive oil
* Salt and pepper
* White wine or fish stock (½ glass)
* Lemon or parsley (optional)
* Sweet paprika or Provençal herbs (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 180 °C (top and bottom heat).
2. Peel and slice the potatoes thinly. Cut the onion into julienne strips and the peppers/courgette into strips.
3. Place the vegetables in an oven dish, season with salt and pepper, and add a generous drizzle of oil.
4. Bake for 20–25 minutes until they are nearly tender (you can cover with foil).
5. Season the fish with salt and pepper and place it on top of the vegetables. Add the sliced garlic and pour over the wine or stock.
6. Bake for 12–15 minutes (depending on thickness). Optionally, grill for 2–3 minutes at the end.
7. Finish with chopped parsley or a few drops of lemon before serving.

Grilled Lobster with Lemon Saffron Butter

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Lobster meat is so delicate you don’t want to overcook it otherwise it hardens. The lobster once cooked will turn beautiful opaque in color with a white center.

 
Saffron Butter
  • 150g butter, room temperature
  • 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • Large pinch of saffron lightly crushed
  • sea salt
  • white pepper
  1. Melt butter in a sauce pan on low heat.
  2. Once warm and melted add in the saffron and whisk.
  3. Add the lemon juice and season butter to taste with salt and white pepper.
 
 
Lobster
Servings: 4
  • Butterfly Lobster Tails: Using kitchen scissors, cut the top shell of the lobster down the middle. If you cut through the meat that’s ok but don’t cut through the bottom shell.
  • Preheat the grill and place the rack about 6 inches away from the direct heat.
  • Spread open the shell a bit to expose the meat. Work carefully, shells can be sharp. Open the shell using your thumbs and fingers and loosen the meat from the shell (remove vein if present).
  • Lift the meat from the shell, keeping it attached at the base. Press the shell together and set the lobster meat over the top.
  • Brush the tops of the lobster tails generously with the saffron butter mixture.
  • Grill for about 4- 6 minutes until the meat is firm and opaque (white).
  • Serve with more saffron butter for dipping, lemon wedges and a sprinkling of fresh parsley. Sea salt to taste

How to Prepare Lobster
 
Whole lobster offers varied textures (claws, tail) and an interactive experience but is messier and harder to prep, while lobster tails provide convenient, meaty, firm portions ideal for easy cooking (grilling, butterflying) and recipes, though they lack claw meat and can be pricier per pound for the meat yield.
 
To prepare whole lobster, you can boil or steam it after dispatching it humanely (e.g., quick knife stab to the head), cooking until bright red (about 7 mins/lb), then serve with melted butter, or you can butterfly and grill/bake it for a different flavor profile, focusing on separating the tail, claws, and knuckles for easy meat extraction and enjoying the rich, flavorful tomalley (green liver).
 
The choice depends on desired convenience, budget, and the experience you want: tails for ease and consistent meat, whole for variety and tradition.

Easy Baba Ganoush

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Classic Baba Ganoush Recipe – Smoky Middle Eastern roasted eggplant dip with garlic, lemon, olive oil. Mutabal and Baba Ghanoush are both smoky eggplant dips but Mutabal is creamy and tahini-based (often with yogurt), while Baba Ghanoush is chunkier, often without tahini.

Ingredients

  • 1 aubergine
  • 2 to 3 tbsp tahini paste, optional
  • 1 tomato diced
  • 1 onion diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • ½ lemon juiced
  • 1-2 tbsp olive oil
  • herbs, salt, cayenne pepper, to taste

Method

  1. Roast the aubergine on high for about 15 minutes until the skin is burnt and the pulp is soft and tende
  2. Peel off the skin then mash it using a blender, fork or a potato masher.
  3. Add tomato, onion, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, seasoning and blend.
  4. Chill.
  5. To serve, drizzle with a little bit of olive oil, and garnish.
  6. Serve with bread or vegetables.

Tips

  • Quick Fix for Watery Result: Mix with Greek yogurt and a bit more garlic and/or more tahini will make it thicken up.
  • Salting eggplant draws out the moisture, allowing it to get crispy and caramelized on the exterior, and keeping it from getting soggy in the final dish. Some say it removes bitter flavors, but since bitterness has been bred out of most modern eggplants, salting is primarily about texture.

Canarian Fiesta Beef

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Canarian Recipes: Carne Fiesta Canaria
Meal or Tapa, Fiesta Beef, an alternative to pork, is one of the most popular dishes in Canarian tourist cuisine. Served at celebrations traditionally but often seen on the more ´local´ tapas menus.

Ingredients for 4

  • 700 g of beef
  • 100 ml dry red wine
  • 50 ml of wine vinegar
  • 6 cloves of garlic
  • Salt, ground black pepper to taste
  • 2 tablespoons of sweet paprika
  • 1 tablespoon of oregano
  • 1 tablespoon thyme
  • ½ teaspoon hot pepper flakes or chili powder
  • 20 ml of oil

Method

  1. Crush the garlic, season with salt and pepper and mix with the oregano, thyme, sweet paprika and hot pepper flakes.
  2. Add the oil, wine and vinegar to the mixture.
  3. Mix with the meat and mix well. Leave to rest in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours or overnight.
  4. Remove the meat from the marinade. Heat oil and brown the meat.
  5. Add the marinade to the pan and cook over low heat for 15-30 minutes.
  6. Let it rest and serve with the desired garnish and bread.
  7. The perfect accompaniment to this recipe is the typical wrinkled potatoes or French fries.

Tuna Salad (Quick and Healthy)

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10-minute Mediterranean tuna salad without mayo! The tuna salad itself uses just the five ingredients (tuna, tomato, onion, boiled egg and lettuce) plus a quick light dressing.

Ingredients (serves 1–2)

  • 1 can of natural tuna (drained)
  • 1 large tomato or cherry tomatoes
  • ½ onion (optional)
  • 1 boiled egg (optional)
  • Green leaves (lettuce, spinach, or rocket)
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • Lemon or vinegar
  • Salt and pepper

Instructions

  1. Wash and chop the tomato and onion.
  2. Place the green leaves in a bowl.
  3. Add the flaked tuna and diced egg.
  4. Dress with oil, lemon/vinegar, salt, and pepper.
  5. Toss and serve.

Burrata Salad

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Canarian Recipes: Ensalada de Burrata

Burrata is a fresh, stretched – curd cheese made from cow’s milk. It has a round shape and an exterior similar to a pouch-like mozzarella with a characteristic apical closure. Inside, the texture is much softer and more stringy, similar to that of cream cheese.

Ingredients

  • Burrata Cheese or other fresh cheeses
  • Arugula
  • Lamb’s Lettuce
  • Cherry Tomatoes
    Avocado
  • Mango
  • Walnuts,
  • Pistachios
  • Raisins
  • Olive Oil
  • Honey

Mozzarella vs. Burrata: What’s the Difference?
Fresh mozzarella cheese is made from cow or water buffalo milk. It has a firm but elastic texture and can be sliced without losing its shape. Burrata cheese is mozzarella that’s formed into a thin pouch and then filled with a mixture of soft, stringy curd and cream called stracciatella.

What is the goat cheese in the Canary Islands?
Queso Palmero: This characteristic smoky cheese is made with raw milk from local goats, similar to mozzarella.
It’s available fresh, soft, semi-cured and cured.

Burrata cheese from Quesería Mansueto, a family business, dedicated to the production of cheeses and artisanal products, originally from Italy, with ingredients 100% made in the Canary Islands.
https://mansuetoqueseria.com

Roscón de Reyes: Three Kings’ Cake

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Canarian Recipes: Rosconttone

  

The Roscón de Reyes is one of the most eagerly awaited desserts of the year. As its name suggests, it is typical for the Epiphany on January 6th.

Many families gather on this day to share this sweet treat, adhering to tradition; whoever finds the fève (a hidden figurine) is expected to treat others.

  • 650 g strong flour
  • 250 ml whole milk
  • 25 g fresh yeast
  • 120 g white sugar
  • 120 g butter
  • 2 eggs and the yolk of another
  • 10 g salt
  • 2 tablespoons orange blossom water
  • The zest of 2 lemons
  • The zest of one orange

Ingredients to decorate the Roscón de Reyes:

  • An orange
  • Glazed fruits
  • 1 beaten egg
  • Pearl sugar
  • Flaked almonds

Your favourite ingredient for the filling:

  • cream
  • truffle
  • confectioner’s custard
  • angel hair (pumpkin jam)
  • sweet potato
  • chocolate.. figurine of the King
  • fava bean

Step by step method for making the Roscón de Reyes:

  • Heat the milk until it is lukewarm.
  • Mix 250ml of milk with 3 tablespoons of flour and shredded yeast.
  • ix it thoroughly until the yeast is fully dissolved.
  • Put the mixture to one side and leave it to ferment for 20 minutes (the warmer the ambient temperature, the quicker it will ferment).
  • In another bowl, add the rest of the dry ingredients: flour, sugar, salt and zest. Finally, add the milk, eggs, already fermented mixture, orange blossom water and melted butter. Mix until everything is well incorporated.
  • Flour a smooth surface and knead for a few minutes (from the outside inwards). Shape the dough into a ball and leave it to one side in a bowl covered with a cloth for a few hours or until it doubles in size (the warmer the ambient temperature, the quicker it will grow).
  • Once the dough has doubled in size, flour the same surface and knead it again. Shape your Three Kings’ cake (bear in mind that the dough will grow and the hole in the middle will become smaller).
  • Leave the dough to rest for an hour covered with clingfilm. Meanwhile, you can preheat the oven to 180 °C.
  • Brush your cake with the beaten egg and decorated it to taste.
  • Bake for 20 minutes or until you see it has turned a golden colour.
  • Remove the cake from the oven and leave it to cool for a few hours before cutting it in half to add your favourite filling and, of course, the bean.
  • Serve it with your favourite nougats and chocolates and enjoy!

Classic Fillings and Surprising Flavours
In addition to the classic roscón (without filling),there are various flavours of Rosconttones to cater to all tastes.
Their offerings include:

  • Nutella
  • Pistachio
  • Kinder
  • Pastry Cream

Strawberry and Chocolate Tartlet

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Canarian Recipes: Tartaleta de fresa y chocolate 

The combination of chocolate and strawberry is unmatched. That delicious combination is especially perfect when packed into a cute little mini tart. These tarts are best served the day they are made.

(for 3 units)

  • 400 g shortcrust pastry
  • 30 g sugar
  • 200 g strawberry purée
  • 200 ml double cream
  • 150 g dark chocolate
  • 150 g cooking cream
  • 2 sheets of gelatine
  • Icing sugar
  • Fresh berries
  • Flaked coconut
  • Unsalted pistachios

Instructions

  1. Combine the strawberry purée (or crushed strawberries) with the double cream, reserving 5 tablespoons of the mixture. Freeze the remainder for 1 hour.
  2. Line the tartlet cases with the shortcrust pastry. Prick the base with a fork, place baking paper on top, add some dried legumes, and bake for 10 to 15 minutes at 180ºC.
  3. Allow to cool.
  4. Melt the chocolate in the heated cooking cream, allow to cool, and fill the tartlets. Chill in the fridge.
  5. Soak the gelatine sheets in cold water. Heat the reserved purée and dissolve the drained gelatine in it. Combine with the remaining cold mixture and mix well.
  6. Whip the mixture with electric beaters and pour over the chocolate ganache. Smooth the surface with a spatula and refrigerate.
  7. Decorate the tartlets with strawberries and fresh berries, chopped pistachios, flaked coconut, and a dusting of icing sugar.

Surf and Turf with Bearnaise Sauce

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Surf and turf is a main course that combines meat from the land (“turf”) with seafood from the sea (“surf”), typically featuring a steak paired with seafood such as lobster or large prawns. While lobster and filet mignon are a standard combination, variations include prawns, scampi or scallops, which may be steamed, grilled, or breaded and fried.

  • 4 filet mignon steaks 150-200g
  • 400g prawns(shrimp), peeled and deveined
  • Salt, pepper, oil or butter as needed
  • 60 ml white wine
  • 30 ml white wine vinegar
  • Small onion, finely chopped
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 200g butter, melted
  • Tarragon, fresh or dried, optional

Béarnaise Sauce

  1. Cook wine, vinegar and onions in a pan over medium heat for 5-6 minutes until liquid is reduced to about 2 tbs.
  2. Blend with yolks then with motor running, slowly add hot melted butter. Stir in tarragon and season.
  3. Keep warm.

Surf and Turf

  1. Heat butter or oil over medium-high heat and sear the steaks for 3-4 minutes on each side for medium-rare.
  2. Adjust cooking time to desired doneness.
  3. Set aside and let them rest while cooking the prawns.
  4. In the same pan, melt butter and sauté the shrimp until pink and cooked through.
  5. Plate and serve with a drizzle of sauce and more onside.

 

Sweet Potato Trout

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Canarian Recipes: Trucha de Batata

Sweet potato dumplings are a delightful dessert and a cherished homemade recipe often made for Christmas. No-one seems to now why it has a “fishy” name. It’s  a pastry but with a sweet filling.

Ingredients for the Dough

  • 1 kg of flour
  • 200 g of sugar
  • 200 g of butter or lard
  • 1 teaspoon of baking powder (Royal type)
  • Grated lemon zest

For the Filling

  • 1.5 kg of yellow sweet potatoes 
  • 50 g of almonds
  • Grated lemon zest
  • Cinnamon
  • 2 whole eggs
  • Anise seed (a little)
  • 3 tablespoons of sugar, plus extra for decoration

Making the Dough

  1. Knead the flour with the lard and a little butter until the dough no longer sticks to your hands.
  2. Allow it to rest for a while.
  3. Then, roll out the dough with a rolling pin and use a bowl or cutting ring to form the circles, which will be ready for filling.

Preparing the Filling

  1. Cook the sweet potatoes in salted water until soft. Peel them and mash well with a fork.
  2. Next, add the peeled and ground almonds, cinnamon, a little anise liqueur, and mix thoroughly.
  3. Taste the mixture to see if it needs any additional ingredients.
  4. Once the filling is ready, start filling the circles; place the filling from the centre towards the front and fold them in half, creating a crescent shape.
  5. Seal the edges with a fork, decorating the edge to resemble a shell.
  6. Fry them in hot oil, and as they darken, remove them from the pan.
  7. Drain excess oil by placing them on absorbent paper.
  8. Once drained, arrange them on trays and sprinkle with sugar on top.