Spain·Basque Country
Marmitako
Basque bonito and potato fisherman's stew
A Basque fisherman's stew of bonito tuna and potatoes with choricero pepper, born in the holds of fishing boats.
- Preparation
- 20 min
- Cooking
- 40 min
- Total time
- 1 h 10 min
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Servings
- 4
Resting: 10 min
Ingredients
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Preparation
Tips
- The bonito goes in at the end and off the heat: if overcooked it turns dry and fibrous.
- "Cracking" the potatoes instead of cutting them makes them release starch and thicken the broth.
- If you have bonito heads or bones, make a stock with them: it boosts the flavour a lot.
- Choricero pulp (from rehydrated dried choricero peppers) gives the dish its characteristic colour and flavour.
Variations
- Some add tomato and a splash of white wine to the sofrito, although many Basque cooks prefer it without tomato.
- In Cantabria there is a similar version called sorropotún.
- Today it is also made with bluefin tuna or with salmon.
Story of the recipe
Marmitako: where it comes from.
Marmitako began as practical food aboard fishing boats: its name comes from "marmita", the pot it was cooked in. Fishermen made it during the bonito season to keep warm at sea.
It is not an ancient dish in the strict sense, since its basic ingredient, the potato, came from America; even so it soon took root in Basque coastal towns and has become a summer classic.
Sources
By RecetarioMundo.