Boquerones with Pear and ldiazábal Cheese Shavings

Servings: 4

Prep Time: 10 minutes [PT10M]

Ingredients:

20 to 24 boqueron fillets(or 5 to 6 per person) reserving white wine vinegar

1 ripe pear

2 oz ldiazábal cheese

Preparation:

Wash the pear and cut into quarters. Remove the core but do not peel (the skin adds texture and color to the dish). Cut each quarter into 6 to 10 irregular, lengthwise strips, and place, roughly overlapping the pieces, onto small salad plates.

Next, layer on the boquerones in a crosshatched pattern. Lay 2 or 3 boquerones parallel to each other on top of the pear. On top, in a perpendicular direction, place, parallel to each other, 2 or 3 more fillets.

Shave the cheese into wispy curls -- it should be as if falling from the sky -- over the boquerones. With a small spoon, drizzle some of the reserved white wine vinegar around the edge of the plates.

Daniel Olivella, B44 Restaurant, San Francisco, CA
Recipe courtesy of Spain GourmeTour magazine