06/10/2017
Prepare this tasty recipe of Mintxo de Albacora by our chef Jean Marc Sanz
This week we'll show you how to make one of the Hotel Montíbolis star dishes of summer. It is the albacore (white tuna), a fish more commonly known in the Spanish Levante as bacoreta. For this, we have prepared for you a bacoreta recipe in the purest fusion style, sure to surprise you for its originality, and of course also for its extraordinary flavor.
In addition, we are in the ideal dates for the consumption of this tasty fish (it is the season for albacores). Therefore, a good dish cooked with bacoreta in September, always guarantees that you will enjoy an excellent meal, a fantastic idea to eat in Villajoyosa.
Do You dare? Let's start by choosing the best piece of albacore.
How to choose the Albacore in the market
Albacore, or bacoreta, is a type of fish also known as White tuna. Also called the bacoreta fish or the bonito of the north. Even so, it is not exactly the traditional tuna we are accustomed to, although the similarity of its flavor is considerable
When choosing a good albacore in the market, you can buy it in different ways: canned, in the form of mojama (salted extra dry), fresh or frozen.
Also, it is very easy to see if the albacore, that has caught your attention, is more or less fresh. You can deduce this by the hardness of its flesh, easily perceptible to the naked eye. In addition, the fresher the albacore, the part of the cut that is in contact with the spine has a more intense red color.
On the other hand, you should also keep in mind, that as this fish loses its freshness, visually you can also appreciate a less red meat and also with less consistency.
Ingredients for the Bacoreta Mintxo
The ingredients to make a good Mintxo of Bacoreta with Chard, Rocket, and Citrus are the following:
Now to prepare the Mintxo the Albacore
The bread bao is a purely oriental type, and in this case, serves to prove an excellent example of fusion cuisine. As you will see, we will use for the filling, very Mediterranean products, that we will integrate properly with this exotic ingredient.
Therefore, we will begin this recipe with the ingredients of bread bao, all of which are indicated above.
To make a good bread bao, you will first start by mixing the yeast with the water, which must be warm.
Then mix the flour, sugar, salt, milk, sunflower oil and yeast, always in this order. It is about adding ingredient after ingredient to the flour, going (as you can see) from the most solid material to the most liquid before adding the yeast.
Now it is necessary to knead the mixture until you obtain a dough mass.
Then leave the bread bao mixture for approximately one hour to rise, preferably covering with a cloth.
It is time to start forming the "balls" with the dough. The size can be determined according to your preferences, since there is no standard one, although it is recommended that they fit into the palm of the hand.
Now is when you stretch and shape the "dough balls", dab them with a little olive oil, and then fold them in two. This way, you will have a traditional torn bao bread in which you will then introduce the filling
Put the pieces in the steam oven for 5 to 10 minutes, depending on the thickness of the bread you have prepared. If you do not have steam oven you can use a steamer, although you can also put the pieces to the bain Maria/double boiler.
The Filling
You can start by rubbing a little garlic (1 clove will suffice). Then you can cook the Swiss chard, although it is imperative that before introducing them into the water, you first break up its hardest parts
Once the chard is well cooked, let them drain properly, as it is important that you remove all excess water. The properties of Swiss chard, as you well know are very beneficial, and its flavour when fused with the albacore is unbeatable.
Now it's your turn to sauté the sliced garlic with a few drops of olive oil, and then add the freshly seasoned cooked chard with oregano.
It is time to sear the albacore, for this you need to place it in a frying pan and add to the heat, or grilled (we, for this dish prefer to cook the bacoreta in the pan, always adding a tiny amount of oil).
Because it is a blue fish, it should not be cooked too much, to avoid the meat drying up and losing its special touch.
Finishing the dish
As you already have the bread bao ready (after steaming it for 5-10 minutes), it is time to introduce the ingredients. Place the pieces of albacore inside the bread in small slices, which will be accompanied by the chard and rocket leaves, which will bring to the plate a touch of freshness that is easily noticeable.
It is important to add to this dish a citric touch, which will suffice with a few lemon drops, although you could use any other type of citrus, such as orange or lime….
To make these citrus bubbles, squeeze a lemon, then you must reduce the juice and some of the rind, by introducing it in a pan to warm. If you prefer, you can add a minimum amount of sugar, which will take a bit of the bitterness from the lemon and soften its taste (according to your taste).
In any case, you don’t want the taste of citrus to dominate the whole plate, but enhance the mintxo of bacoreta.
Once the plate is ready all that is left now is to try it. We are sure you will love it.
Do you dare to tell us your experience? We would love to hear your personalized version of Mintxo of Bacoreta with Chard, Rocket and Citrus.
Bon appetit !!
