Pastel de Cabracho - Rock fish cake

[Maestro Tomberi]

This dish; popularized thanks to the great Juan Mari Arzak, is a classic in the Asturian cuisine (altough hails from Basque cuisine) as well as probably the most typical starter.

INGREDIENTS:
100gr. of rock fish (clean)
100gr. of hake (clean)
1/5 leek (can be added more)
1/5 onion (can be added more)
1/5 bay leaf (can be added more)
200ml. milk cream
tomato (at will)
2 eggs
1/5 brandy glass
salt
white pepper
butter to grease up the mold


Cook the rock fish and hake along with the diced leek, the onion in quarters and the bay leaf during 15 minutes and once done, take away the skin and fishbones (notice the final quantity must be the double of rock fish than hake, maybe a little less).


Afterwards, in a hollow recipient, pour the fish along with the cream, the tomato sauce (enough to leave it with a colour like the salmon meat), the eggs, the brandy, salt and pepper. Triturate until a fine dough is done (preferently with a whipper).

Preheat the oven at 200ºC. Pour the mix in a plum cake mold previously greased up with butter. Put it in the oven at 150ºC during 45 minutes. If the mold hasn't got a coverer, make sure to cover it up with aluminium paper in order to avoid the upper part to get burnt. The plate must be placed at a medium height inside the oven.

The cake will be done when it acquires a "paté" texture and it's not liquid. You can try if it's done introducing a knife. If so, the knife will get out almost clean and the mark of the stab will .

Serve cold along with toasted bread and mahonesa or salsa rosa, and enjoy .

[Art]

Hello, MT, thanks for posting that. I hadn't tried it until this last summer. It really is tasty!

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Hola, MT, gracias por publicarlo. No lo había probado hasta este verano pasado. ¡Es realmente delicioso!

[Bob]

One queston. There are quite a few species that are called rockfish here in the EEUU. What is rockfish in Spain?

[is]

My cousins are really into this pastel de cabracho. But it's a bit too rich for my taste, too much cream in there. I'm not saying it's bad and it tastes great with cider. But it can get tiring after a few mouthfuls.

Bob, I think M.T. probably means what Asturians call 'pescao de pedreru', the species that are found (or used to be found before stocks were depleted) along the Asturian coast where the waves crash. It could be llubina (seabass), congriu, chopa, tinosu...

[Maestro Tomberi]

Aaaah... I should have clarified the kind of rock fish from the beginning.

It's tiñosu mostly, since it also helps with the colour.

[Bob]

For English speakers, Maestro Tomberi's recipe uses a scorpionfish species. Many of these have poisonous spines and need to be handled carefully.

[Art]

I have enjoyed Pastel de Cabracho several times and had no idea it has so much cream in it! Maybe that's because the dish we were served was used as a spread on bread or crackers. Is that the same dish?

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He disfrutado del Pastel de Cabracho varias veces y no tenía ni idea de que lleva tanta crema! Tal vez sea porque el plato que nos sirvieron se utiliza para untar pan o tostadas. ¿Es el mismo plato?

[Maestro Tomberi]

Exactly, Bob! This fish has a poisonous caudal fin, altough the effects in case of an accidental puncture last no longer than one day and it's like if a bee stings you.

And yes, Art. Since this dish is a patê, that is the usual way to eat it. It's that very same dish.

[Art]

Thanks, M.T.! I wish we had "like" buttons on the forum!

[Bob]

We have a species of scorpion fish off our New England coast, but I haven't been able to find any for sale for culinary purposes. I'm going to ask at our big fish wholesaler, Connolly's, when they open tomorrow. If they can't get it, I'll admit defeat.

[Art]

Maybe if you went to the fishermen's area and asked guys on the boats, you could get some from them. I'd bet that they usually throw them out.

[Maestro Tomberi]

Not necessarily, Bob: any rock fish can do the job. Looksvlike this kind of fishes in concrete have a stronger and characteristic flavour. And if you want it milder, increase the proportion of hake

[Art]

This is odd. I'm in an Indian restaurant, Mango Grove, in Columbia, MD. They are serving "steamed chickpea cake" called "dhokla" that reminds me strongly of the Asturian pastel de cabracho in color, texture, and flavor. The main difference is that it doesn't have the fish flavor or smell, but it's very similar. It's made with chickpeas, semolina flour, and spices, so it doesn't spread as easily as pastel de cabracho. The spices are mainly chili powder and ginger with mustard seed and cilantro on top. Amazing. It's too bad I'm unlikely to find pastel de cabracho near here to compare it with.

Here's a photo of the dhokla.