In summer 2021, took a 10-day, spontaneous trip to Galicia, Spain, in search of…you guessed it, conservas/tinned fish. Galicia is world-renowned for its conservas, and more generally, its seafood. Was very eager to get out of the house, and there was that short window last summer when covid numbers were down. It was a needed escape.

We rented a car and stayed along the Northwest coast, roughly from Coruña to Pontevedra, before heading to Madrid for a few days. Northwest Spain is a beautiful part of the country, with its own microclimate — more temperate and mild, more rainy, resulting in lush, green terroir. In July, we had a couple of good days for swimming, though also some cooler, rainy days — unlike Madrid, where it was a sweltering 95+F every day.

Fittingly, there’s a term that I heard often while in Galicia, morriña (moh-rreen-yah), which translates to homesickness. But it’s more than a word, it’s a feeling of longing for place, a sadness or melancholy you experience when you are away from home. It’s difficult to describe in words, but it’s a feeling I carry with me, along with a deep desire to return soon.

Took a tour of a conservas factory. For most, probably not something they would consider a highlight of their vacation, but I was in my element. Just a few photos I finally got around to posting, and of course, a recipe featuring sardine conservas to accompany them.

You can’t go to Galicia without sampling a plate or three of local grilled (or boiled) octopus.

Or percebes (goose barnacles)…

I haven’t posted about sardines in a while, even though I have a blog called Wild Greens and Sardines. In hindsight, having the word Sardines in my blog title was probably not the best idea. Sardines, at least here in the United States, are not high on most people’s list. But I happen to really enjoy them, so once in a while I sneak a sardine recipe onto the blog.

This is a really simple one — a pâté of canned sardines (the whole can: oil, meat, bones, and all), butter (I used a furikake compound butter that I made for something else, though any type of butter is fine), shallots, chile flakes, salt and pepper, whipped (in the food processor) until smooth. Pretty simple. If you are one of the few sardine lovers out there, this might be right up your alley.

I’m thinking this spread would be great for a sardine Bahn mi, no?

I came across the recipe for these crisp breads in Tartine Book No. 3 and was intrigued. They’re a combo of buckwheat and stone-ground whole wheat, rounded out with bread flour, along with toasted nori, and topped with white and black sesame seeds and a sprinkling of shichimi togarashi and flaky sea salt. They’re super crispy. Pretty simple to make too. Just mix the dough, rolled out very thin (by hand with a rolling pin) and then bake. That’s it.

I think these crisp breads make a nice pairing with the sardine pâté. The buckwheat adds an earthiness, the schichimi togarashi adds a hint of heat and floral notes (it contains orange zest), and the sesame seed topping adds a subtle, pleasant nuttiness.

Sardine Pâté

1 (4.5 ounce) can sardines packed in oil (used Bela Sardines)
2 tablespoons butter, room temperature
1/2 small shallot, minced
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon ground chile pepper
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
Salt and pepper
Chopped chives (and blossoms, when in season)

Combine all ingredients in a food processor. Season with salt and pepper. Puree until smooth. Serve on crackers (or crusty bread), sprinkled with chives.

Buckwheat Crackers

Makes 10 crisp breads

105 grams buckwheat flour
80 grams whole wheat flour
80 grams bread flour
7 grams sea salt
8 grams nori, coarsely ground
160 grams water
40 grams sourdough starter
sesame seeds, for topping
shichimi togarashi, for topping
Flakey sea salt, for topping

Preheat the oven to 425F.

Combine the flours, salt, and nori. Add the starter and water and mix until well combined. Let ferment, overnight, covered in the refrigerator. 

Portion the dough into 10 balls, let rest for 20 minutes, and roll out thin. Transfer to a baking sheet. Brush with water and top with sesame seeds, shichimi togarashi, and flakey sea salt and press lightly so the seeds adhere to the dough. 

Bake 15 to 20 minutes until crispy.

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2 comments

Reply

I brought an extra suitcase just to buy tinned fish while in Lisboa this summer…..though not Galician, they served goose barnacles in Portugal (did not partake)….and I actually bought sardine pate in a can.

I loved that part of Europe and can’t wait to return.
Beautiful photos and your sardine butter sounds great…..will try it.

Stacey

Reply

Sardine pâté is one of our signature dishes. We drain the fish from their oil, make sure to empty their bellies (the brown stuff is bitter) and mix it with Creme fraiche, capers, red onion and parsley. Instead of pepper we prefer piment.

Just perfect with a baguette.

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