Burrida a Sa Casteddaia
Burrida a Sa Casteddaia
Cagliari-style Pickled Fish with Walnuts
For around ten thousand years, many Sardinians ate close to no fish and the fish they did eat was rarely fresh. Instead, it was dried, salted, or marinated to preserve it as long as possible. Marinated and pickled fish dishes evoke Spain’s fish escabeche or Venice’s sarde in saor, a testament to the way in which certain preparations spread across wide areas thanks to trade, migration, and necessity. Sardinia’s most beloved dish in this genre is burrida a sa casteddaia, pickled dogfish with walnuts and its own liver, a classic of the southern port town of Cagliari. Unless you’re doing a whole lot of fishing off the Jersey Shore, where you’ll catch dogfish by accident, they’re pretty hard to come by. They’re also super bony, so if that’s not your thing, I suggest replacing the dogfish with another sweet, firm-fleshed fish like monkfish or grouper. Prepare the burrida a day or two before you plan to serve it so the flavors have plenty of time to marry.
Ingredients (10)
Ingredients (10)
Instructions
Fill a medium pot halfway with water, then add the wine (1 cup), bay leaves (2 leaves), peppercorns (1 tsp), and 1 garlic clove. Add salt until the liquid tastes like a seasoned soup.
Bring to a boil over high heat, then add the fish (2 lb) and cook until it is firm and opaque, about 5 minutes. Drain and discard the bay leaves, peppercorns, and garlic.
Combine the remaining garlic cloves, the olive oil (1 Tbsp), 1 ½ cups of the walnuts, the liver (8 oz), the vinegar (3 Tbsp), and a heavy pinch of salt in a food processor and process until nearly smooth. Transfer the mixture to a medium pan and cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until it begins to thicken and the liver is cooked, 4 to 5 minutes. Season with salt and additional vinegar to taste.
Combine the fish and the walnut mixture in a medium container, cover, and refrigerate overnight or for up to 3 days before serving.
Roughly chop the remaining ½ cup walnuts. Sprinkle them over the burrida and serve at room temperature.
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