Canary Island Cuisine & Local Food Preparation |
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TASTY CANARIAN
COOKING
When dining out in the Canaries, the only problem is deciding where to go as one can choose from almost every style of cuisine from around the world.
The cuisine of the Canary Islands are much effected by tourism and of course mainland Spanish food. Canary Island cuisine reflects Spanish, Portuguese, and North African influence. However, two things stand out as being typicaly Canarian. Mojo sauce and Canarian potatoes.
Papas Arrugadas - new potatoes cooked in sea water and then baked. These "wrinkly" potatoes taste wonderful.
Salsa Mojo - comes in two basic types, red and green. The red goes well with the potatoes while the green goes very well with fish. They are made  with vinegar, a lot of garlic and oil, flavoured with red or green peppers.
A typical Canarian meal could be a local fish split open and cooked "a la plancha" served with Canarian potatoes and green mojo (mo-ho) sauce, preceded by a salad including bananas, coriander leaves and avocado, as well as the usual tomatoes and green salad (lettuce
may be replaced by thinly sliced cabbage in the hotter islands).
"Almogrote" is a hard cheese & garlic preparation, eaten with bread.
"Gofio" a grain meal that replaced bread for the pre Spanish natives.
"Puchero Canario" hearty chick pea vegetable stew.
"Bienmesabe" almond cream.
TRADITIONAL CANARIES
On the menus of the restaurants that are most respectful of the gastronomical tradition of the islands , there is no lack of of entrees such as the delicious “carne de fiesta, or goat’s meat ,octopus, fried moray eel, goat’s cheese or black pudding, which are prepared with a sweet taste in the Canary Islands.
Thick soups and “puchero” which adds meat to the vegetables. Among the fish, caught in the local waters the ones in greatest demand are the delicious viejas, which are served boiled, samas, tuna and sardines.
Among the meats, rabbit in salmorejo sauce and pork prepared in a thousand different ways.
Traditional desserts include frangollo, truchas and principe alberto, a perfect way to finish a real Canarian meal.
Don’t forget to try a genuine island banana!
A TYPICAL CANARIES RECIPE 
INGREDIENTS
1 kg halibut, sama or lubina
400 grams potatoes
3 garlic cloves
½ hot fresh pepper
½ teaspoon cumin
1 tbsp. sweet paprika
¼ to ½ cup olive oil
2 tbsp. vinegar
oil
salt to taste
water
PREPARATION
Peel the potatoes, slice them and cook in a small pan with salted water; wait for the water to boil for 5 mins, add the fish and cook for a further 5 mins until the potatoes are cooked. Whilst cooking prepare the salsa (sauce). Put the garlic cloves, hot pepper and cumin in a food processor and blend. Add a pinch of salt, mix well, then add the paprika and vinegar, and slowly add the olive oil. add a little fish stock from the panat the end
SERVING
Drain the fish and potatoes and serve the fish with the potatoes around the fish and the salsa on top. Serve with a green salad.
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