Recipe: Xató Salad
It’s unusual for a salad to reach such a high culinary status, but the xató salad has done just that. Each winter it arrives to a fanfare of festivals, competitions and more than a little local rivalry. This beloved Catalan dish is made from escarole, a variety of lettuce that’s traditionally available only in winter, and other ingredients that were historically only readily available in the winter months, when fresh ingredients were harder to come by. The salsa is made from standard pantry ingredients like dried peppers, nuts, garlic and bread, while the three fish used are salt cod, anchovies and tuna, which are available year-round, dried or canned.
INGREDIENTS (serves 4-6)
For the salad (for each plate)
- 2 large leaves of escarole
- 120 grams of salt cod
- 120 grams of tuna packed in oil
- 4 anchovy fillets
- 80 grams of arbequina olives
For the salsa
- 100 grams almonds
- 100 grams hazelnuts
- 1 ñora pepper
- 1 slice toasted bread
- 5 cloves garlic plus one half clove
- 2 small tomatoes
- 250 grams of olive oil
- vinegar to taste
- salt
- white pepper
- paprika
METHOD
- Begin by desalinating the cod 24 hours ahead of time. Place cod in a bowl and cover it entirely with cold water. Place in the fridge and let it soak overnight, changing the water every six to eight hours. After 24 hours, drain the water and keep the cod cold until ready to serve.
- To prepare the ñora pepper, prick a few holes in the dried pepper and boil for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat, cover, and let sit for another 30 minutes, or until thoroughly softened. Remove the pepper from the water and drain. Cut the pepper open and lay it flat on a cutting board. With the back side of a knife or a spoon scrape the inside flesh away from the skin. You will only need half of the meat from the pepper. Then rest can be saved for another recipe.
- To roast the garlic, preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Place the five whole cloves of garlic into a piece of foil and wrap tightly. Roast for 30 minutes.
- To prepare the dressing, add the almonds, hazelnuts and garlic (both raw and roasted) to a mortar and mash to a very fine paste. Then add half the meat from the ñora pepper, the toasted bread, paprika and white pepper, mashing it until fully incorporated. Finally, add the tomatoes and the oil, and blend very well. Adjust the flavors by adding vinegar to taste.
- Wash the escarole and drain it well. Add the salsa and mix. Let stand a few hours before serving.
- To prepare the salad, divide the escarole among the plates. Add the cod, tuna, anchovy fillets and olives and serve. The salad is best accompanied by Spanish tortilla made with either artichokes, white beans or black sausage, or another ingredient of choice, or as an appetizer for grilled meats like botifarra.