Canary Islands, Spain
The defining preparation of the Canary Islands — small, whole potatoes (Canarian varieties: Bonita, Negra, Papa Bonita, or Yema de huevo) boiled in an extraordinary concentration of sea salt until all the water evaporates and the salt crystallises on the skin as white wrinkles. Served with two mojos: mojo rojo (red chilli, garlic, cumin, vinegar) and mojo verde (green — coriander or parsley, garlic, cumin, vinegar, olive oil). The technique is one of the simplest and most distinctive in the Iberian world: not about elaborate cooking but about the correct salt concentration (the water should be as salty as the sea, approximately 35-40g per litre) and the crucial last stage where the water is completely driven off, leaving only crystallised salt on the potato skin.
Use the smallest, thinnest-skinned potatoes available — the Canarian heritage varieties are waxy and dense. Cover potatoes completely with cold water and add salt at approximately 3-4 tablespoons per litre — the water should taste as salty as the sea. Boil until tender, then drain and return to the dry hot pot, shaking continuously for 2-3 minutes until the skin is dry and the salt has crystallised to white dust. Serve immediately with both mojos.
The mojo rojo uses a dried guindilla or similar dried chilli, garlic, cumin, sweet pimentón, vinegar, and olive oil — blended to a smooth, slightly thick sauce. The mojo verde uses fresh green herbs (cilantro in the Canarian tradition, though parsley is also used) with the same base. Both improve overnight. The Canarian potato varieties (grown on the volcanic soils of the island at altitude) are protected — the closest substitute is a small, waxy, dark-skinned potato such as a blue or purple fingerling.
Insufficient salt — the wrinkled skin and salt crust are the technique. Peeling before serving — the skin is the point. Using floury potatoes — they break down in the salt water. Making only one mojo — the red-green contrast is traditional and the two sauces together balance each other.
The Food of Spain by Claudia Roden