Fishermen's Fresh Tuna with Pimentón Adobo

This recipe is midway between a Spanish escabeche and a Latin American adobo, with the fish briefly cooked and then left to marinate in the same liquid. The recipe comes from Ranchos de a bordo, published by the Ministry of Agriculture, a book of dishes from the fishing boats in the 1930s and 1940s. The author adds two pieces of advice: go easy with the cumin and pound everything well for the adobo.

Servings: 6

Ingredients:

4 - 1/2 lb of fresh red or big-eye tuna, skinned, boned and cut into 2"- thick slices

For the adobo:

4 cloves of garlic

1 tsp of cumin

2 wine glasses of good wine vinegar

Salt

2 cups extra virgin olive oil (or enough to cover the fish)

1 level tsp sweet or bittersweet pimentón

1 bay leaf

Preparation:

Make the adobo: pound the garlic, cumin, vinegar, and salt and mix them with the oil in a large flameproof earthenware dish or pan in which the fish fits. Finally, add the pimentón and bay leaf. Heat very gently for 8-10 minutes. Remove and cool. Cover and chill until required.

Selected by Vicky Hayward
Recipe courtesy of Spain GourmeTour magazine.