Salmon marmitako. Potato and salmon stew

How to make a salmon marmitako . Chances are that if someone tells you to go eat or prepare a marmitako , they are referring to the classic dish of the gastronomy of Northern Spain, consisting of a stew of bonito with vegetables.

As the saying goes ” In the absence of bread, they are good cakes “, in the absence of beautiful bonito is salmon. With this saying and today’s recipe we are going to give a twist to the traditional dish, we are going to prepare a salmon marmitako , simply replacing the bonito from the North with a good fresh salmon loin.

The marmitako or marmite or even marmite in France, is a dish based on the cooking of albacore or northern tuna with potatoes, onion, peppers and tomato. It is a recipe that is attributed to the fishermen of the Cantabrian area who, with a simple kettle, the fish they had just caught and a few vegetables, prepared on the boat itself and during the trip, a fish stew with which to feed .

In fact, originally, the marmitako was prepared with any type of fish, so in fact, the fact of preparing a salmon marmitako is possible, and not only that, it is a perfect fish stew.

The texture and aromas of the salmon combine perfectly with the type of stew that we are going to prepare, since it is a blue fish, like the bonito, it allows a similar result in terms of textures and smells. As it is also relatively easy to find salmon throughout the year, it is a highly recommended stew, both for cold weather and to enjoy in summer. A classic recipe for homemade food, well prepared, nutritious and tasty.

Preparing the ingredients for the salmon marmitako

1. We put the dried choricero pepper in a bowl with hot water to get it hydrated. We reserve it in the water until we are going to use it. We clean the fish from bones and skins and cut it into pieces of about 3 cm., Not too small, so that they can be easily found in the stew. We reserve.
2. With the bones and the skin of the fish we make a broth that we will then use in the stew. We put in a pot, with just over 1 liter of water, the bones and the skins that we have removed from the salmon, the leek, the bunch of parsley and salt. Let cook over medium heat for 30 minutes.
3. While the fish broth is being made we are preparing the base sofrito of our dish. Peel the onion and garlic and cut the onion into pieces, not too small and the garlic into cubes.
4. We wash and dry the green pepper and cut it equally. If you do not have time to prepare the broth you can buy it done. Although as I explain, preparing it is super easy and we take advantage of the remains of the salmon.

Preparation of the salmon marmitako. Final presentation

1. In a wide saucepan, heat a splash of olive oil. When it is hot add the onion and the chopped garlic. We cook these vegetables for 5 minutes and add the green pepper.
2. Poach the vegetables for 15 minutes until they begin to brown.
3. Peel the potatoes and add them to the casserole by “snapping” them, allowing them to break when the knife is inserted. In this way they will release part of their starch during cooking and thicken the sauce.
4. We remove the choricero pepper from the water, we open it. We remove the seeds and with a spoon we scratch its skin, from the inside, to remove the meat that we add directly to the casserole.
5. Add the bay leaf to the pot. Brown the potatoes with the rest of the vegetables and the pepper for 5 minutes, stirring regularly to avoid sticking to the bottom.
6. At this time we will have the fish broth ready. Add the broth to the pot by straining it.
7. The equivalent of 1 liter will be necessary or until the vegetables are completely covered. We let the stew cook for 15 minutes.
8. We check the salt and add the pieces of salmon that we have reserved. We continue cooking for 3 minutes and turn off the casserole. The residual heat will be enough to finish cooking the fish.

We serve this dish hot and with no other company necessary than a good piece of bread to dip the sauce, we are sure to need it.

You can see all the photos of the step by step in the next album.  

Tips for a yummy salmon marmitako

• Remember that the secret of a good marmitako is the quality of the ingredients and not going overboard with the cooking of the fish to be used. It will only take a few minutes at the end of the stew to make it perfect. In this case only 3 minutes and we turn off the pot at the end. The residual heat will be enough to finish cooking the fish and that our marmitako is delicious.
• If you like marmitako but do not have northern tuna on hand, this is the best option. Well, unlike the latter, which is in season from June to September, we can have salmon throughout the year.
• If you have never tried this stew with salmon, I encourage you to do so. You will not regret it. It can also be done with other fish, but it can be done with any fish, be it grouper, hake, cod Marmitako  …
• Be sure to enjoy all the recipes for fish and seafood that we have on the blog.