Catalan Salad with Tuna, Cod and Anchovies Recipe

Receta de Ensalada Catalana con Bacalao, Anchoas y Aliño

45 Minutes

4 Servings

Ingredients

For the Salad:

2 small heads curly endive (frisée), cored and leaves cut into pieces
2 heads Belgian endive, root end removed and cut into ¼-inch slices
2 tsp sherry vinegar with Pedro Ximenez
2 tbsp olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
14 oz bacalao, cooked and torn into small pieces
5 oz Bonito del Norte tuna, drained and gently separated into big pieces
12 anchovy fillets
1 cup Arbequina olives or black Empeltre olives (or mix of both)

For the Sauce and Plating:

1/2 cup Marcona almonds, crushed
1/2 cup roasted hazelnuts, crushed
3 dried ñoras peppers, (about 3 tsp pulp)
2 fire-roasted piquillo peppers, chopped
2 slices (1-inch thick) toasted crusty bread, broken into small pieces
1 head garlic
1/2 cup tomate frito sauce
3 tbsp sherry vinegar with Pedro Ximenez
1/3 to 2/3 cup olive oil, depending on desired thickness
Sea salt
Sweet smoked paprika, for garnish
4 eggs, hard boiled, peeled and halved (optional)

Nutritional Facts

Serving Size 32.5 oz/922 gr
Calories 926
Total Fat 51 gr (78%)
Saturated Fat 7.6 gr (38%)
Cholesterol 242 mg (81%)
Sodium 1906 mg (79%)
Total Carbohydrates 71 gr (24%)
Fiber 24 gr (96%)
Sugars 8 gr
Protein 53 gr (107%)
Vitamin A 294%
Vitamin C 108%
Calcium 45%
Iron 74%

* Percent Daily Values are based on 2000 calorie diet. Your Daily Values may be higher or lower depending on your caloric needs.

Xató is a traditional Spanish salad originating from Catalonia and is most popular during lent and the week of carnaval. This rich salad brings together earth and sea and is served with a nutty dressing similar to Romesco. While most enjoy xató during the Lenten season, we love this salad any time of year!

Steps

Prepare the ñoras peppers by pricking a few holes in the dried peppers and soaking them in a heatproof bowl with 1 cup boiling water for 30 minutes. Remove the peppers from the water, cut the peppers open, remove seeds and lay flat on a cutting board skin side down. With the back side of a knife or a spoon scrape the inside flesh away from the skins. Preheat oven to 400°F. Rub off any excess skin from the head of garlic and cut ½ inch from the top. Place garlic on a piece of foil large enough to enclose the garlic well. Drizzle the cut top of the garlic with olive oil and lightly rub it into the cloves. Bring the corners of the foil up and twist tightly (making sure the foil is not touching the top of the garlic). Roast garlic in the oven for about 30 minutes. Unwrap garlic and let rest until needed. Place the almonds, hazelnuts, toasted bread, ñoras pepper pulp, piquillo peppers, roasted garlic (squeezed from its skins), tomate frito and sherry vinegar into a food processor and pulse until thoroughly blended. With the processor running, slowly drizzle in the olive oil until desired consistency is reached. Season with salt to taste and set aside. To plate the salad, whisk the sherry vinegar, 2 tbsp olive oil, salt and pepper to taste in a large bowl. Toss the endives together in the oil and vinegar, mixing gently to coat. Divide endives among individual plates and top with the cod pieces, flaked tuna, anchovy fillets and olives. Spoon desired amount of sauce over the salads. Sprinkle with a little paprika and place the optional boiled egg halves around the salad. Serve as an appetizer before a grilled meat dish or for lunch with Spanish tortilla .