There is not a great deal of smoking that goes on in Spain and none that I know of in Ibiza (with the exception of myself). This is almost certainly because the climate is to warm. So they stick to salting and curing* . There are only a few months of the year that I am able to smoke as for a lot of the time the ambient temperature is higher that the ideal 28ºC needed for cold smoking.
I discovered a way of smoking with Sabina which is indigenous to the island. Sabina is resinous therefore not suitable for smoking as it leaves and acrid taste. Nonetheless I wanted to use Sabina because it is SO “of the island” and has such a wonderful aroma and I gave myself a gold star for figuring out a way to do it. This has led me on to wondering about other fuels that might be interesting.
I was out fishing on a beach last week as standing on a matt of seaweed that must have been half a metre high. The sea washes it in in the winter and the JCBs take it away in the summer (which is apparently terrible for the enviroment – upsetting the natural order of things blahblahblah). It occurred to me that it would be interesting to try smoking with it. To that end I have 2 salmon trout fillets being salted in preparation for smoking. Gonna cold smoke one and hot smoke the other.
The above was written a bit ago. The cold smoke didnt work cos I havent got a system with a burner set up to keep it alight (sabina and other woods dont need it). I hot smoked the salmon trout and was VERY HAPPY the results. I was so drunk in celebration its taken a while to get this down on iPaper. It really was excellent.
* there is a town in the Alpujarras in the south of Spain where they hang all the hams cos the climate perfect. High. Dry. And with sea breezes blowing up from the Mediterranean. The town is absolutely rammed with hams and you see them hanging EVERYWHERE. I aint gonna say where the town is cos when (not if) this blog goes viral there will be a million japonese and other tourists snapping away the charm.
3 comments:
They smoke fish at that funny organic farm place thats on the right hand side of the road as you enter Ibiza from Santa Eulalia, they will smoke almost anything you ask and tell me they have a proper smokehouse an all..
whereabouts? I only know of Xibellins. its funny but its on the right.
would love to find it
So, if you are driving to Ibiza from Santa Eulalia on the highway just before you get to the flyover on the left hand side (sorry am dislexic it is the left - so if coming from Ibiza it will be on the right) there is an Finca Ecologica, big green sign, big cyclone wire gates, next to its gates is a run down ancient stone Ibicenco building. Its open most of the day and I think every day of the week. You have to turn left into the open gates and follow the short camino where you will come to palm roofed hut. Here you will find several lovely dogs and a funny French man who will sell you their organic produce (gorgeous eggs)and apparently will smoke by order. have not tried and tested their smoking but hopefully you will and report back to us.
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