Iberia · Volume 08, The Sherry Triangle and the Kitchen Al-Andalus Left Behind
Remojón Granadino
Granada
Illustration
- Time
- 20 minutes
- Researched
- Researched from 194 sources in the brief
A winter salad of orange, desalted and shredded salt cod (hence remojón, from remojar, to soak), black olives, hard-boiled egg and olive oil, traditionally credited to the Valle de Lecrín south of Granada city. This is one of the more solidly attested Al-Andalus-adjacent dishes in this chapter: Arabs introduced the bitter orange to southern Spain in the tenth century, with the sweet orange not arriving until 1450, which fits a dish plausibly built first around the bitter fruit and only later around the sweet one now standard.
As tradition built it
Serves 4. About 20 minutes, plus soaking the cod.
Ingredients
- 300 g salt cod, soaked and changed water several times over 24 to 36 hours, then poached and flaked
- 4 oranges, peeled and segmented
- 100 g black olives
- 2 hard-boiled eggs, quartered
- to taste extra virgin olive oil
- as available a little chopped onion, optional
Method
- Desalt the cod by soaking in several changes of cold water over 24 to 36 hours, then poach briefly and flake.
- Arrange the orange segments, flaked cod, olives and egg on a plate or in a bowl.
- Dress generously with olive oil, and scatter with a little chopped onion if wanted.
- Serve at room temperature or lightly chilled, not straight from the fridge, so the oil and orange flavours carry properly.
What a modern chef changes
The components given individual attention rather than simply assembled.
Kit note, not tied to a numbered rung
Method
- Poach the cod sous vide at a low, gentle temperature rather than in an open pan, for a more evenly flaked, less overcooked result than an unwatched poach on the hob.
- Segment the orange over a bowl to catch the juice, then reduce that juice slightly and use it to loosen the dressing, rather than discarding it, for a dressing that carries the orange's own flavour rather than oil alone.
- Dehydrate a portion of the olive to a concentrated, chewy garnish, for a textural contrast against the soft cod and juicy orange rather than leaving every olive whole and identical.