Marmitake

euskaldiaspora tagged map - Tagzania

Marmitake is a traditional platter from basque cuisine, made usually at the itxasontzies of the sea, in the temporade of tuna fish. Anyway, marmitake can be made of any blue fish, like berdel; really, it could be made with any living thing that is moving in our webs or kainaberes.

To the thread: for making a good marmitake, put all this on the table:

• - A lot of potatoes.
• - Half trontz of tuna fish (the buztan or kokot is OK too).
• - Some kipules.
• - Some green raw peppers.
• - Some red hot riojan pepper powder (band).
• - A bit of salt.
• - A txorrostade of oil.

As you can see, i do not give any kopuru or weight. First reason is that I’ve no idea of them (I usually cook at eye). Second one, that every etxekoander you ask will give you a different recipe and will promiss you that one is the real thing. You my dear irakorles, will know what this male etxekoander does, and hor konpon: it's to you to create your own marmitake for sucking the fingers.

So, let’s prest that marmitake.

First, txikite kipules as thin as you can, and sofry them in a bit of oil. The sofrying has to be in slow fire, in order to get them poched (soft and brown). This will need 10-15 minutes.

While kipule is poching, you can proceed to peel potatoes and break them in big cubes. The fact of breaking them is quite important: notice that if we CUT them, potatoes will get quite gogors, and if we BREAK them they will desegin in the boiling water, and the almidon askated will lodite it.

Pull: when kipule is poched, you will bote a little spoon full of red hot riojan pepper powder on it.

Then, the cube potatoes, and you’ll rehog all around. Meanwhile, we will pour enough water (you can use the tape of the lapik) to cover the potatoes. This is the moment of putting a bit of salt (not too much, as tuna fish is berez quite salty) and give kainabere to the fire.

We could put the green pepper cut in pieces at the same time as potatoes, but this has theoretically a problem: as etxekoanders say, boiling pepper from the start brings it to have “bad taste”. I never have proved it, egix esand: but zeozergaittik will say it (maybe this is the little detail that faults you, Cat).

So, if we follow most etxekoander’s aholks we will wait until our marmitake is boiling 10-15 minutes. Then we’ll put the pepper in the boiling lapik.

That way, the potatoes will complete their boiling denpor. We will notice they are done, when we can mash them easily with a fork. We’re almost finished, but here comes the –for me- most inportant pause, that makes difference between marmitake and riojan potatoes:

• - Take the lapik off the fire.
• - Put in the raw tuna fish pieces, cut in cubes.
• - Let the lapik in peace for 10-15 minutes, for the fish to cook and to bote all its sustance.

For me, it’s important not to boil the fish. The rawer the fish is, the better this platter goes out. And of course, in the hour of recalenting it, berote only the amount you are going to eat (not all the lapik!).

Enjoy your marmitake!