Spanish Stew with Rioja

Marmitako is a Spanish fish and potato stew deeply rooted in Basque cuisine. This dish is simple, hearty, and a fantastic way to travel to northern Spain without leaving your kitchen. Marmitako was originally a fisherman’s stew, as Basque fishers would cook their daily tuna catch on board fishing boats.

A touch of red wine in the recipe is not orthodox, but if you choose an earthy Spanish red wine, like Tempranillo or Garnacha, you will be richly rewarded. Marmitako has few ingredients, and a few glugs of dark red wine give a special depth of flavor to the dish. Best of all, you won’t need the whole bottle for this recipe, so you can enjoy a few glasses of Rioja while slurping in the stew from Basque Country.

Marmitako with Tempranillo

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, diced
1 small bell pepper, green or red, chopped
2 tomatoes, chopped
1/4 cup Tempranillo, or other red wine from Rioja, Spain
2 pounds potatoes, peeled
4 cups fish stock
1 pound fresh tuna filet, cut into bit-sized chunks

Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a heavy-bottomed pot. When the oil is hot, add the onion and garlic and sauté until soft (about five minutes or so). Add the bell pepper, and cook until the pepper has softened slightly. Add the chopped tomatoes, wine, salt and pepper.

Stew these ingredients together for about 15 minutes, letting the heat combine their flavors. In the meantime, “crack” the potatoes: cut them slightly, but not all the way through. Break them into chestnut-sized pieces the rest of the way with your hands. Tearing them in this manner helps the potatoes’ starch seep into the fish broth, making it nice and thick.

Add the potatoes to the onion-garlic-pepper mix, and pour in the fish stock. If the stock doesn’t cover everything, add enough water to cover the ingredients by two inches. Bring the pot to a boil over high heat, and then reduce heat to medium-low, letting the stew simmer for about 20 to 30 minutes. The potatoes should be tender at this point.

Add the tuna to the pot, cover, and cook just five minutes. Remove the pot from the stove, and let the stew sit for about half an hour. During this time, the stew should thicken nicely. If your resulting Marmitako has a lot of liquid, simply crush a few potatoes on the sides of the pot with a wooden spoon.

Serve with hot crusty bread, a fresh green salad, and a big glass of Rioja.

Tags: Spanish food, Spanish wine