MOJAMA, AJO BLANCO & MANGO DRESSING

Mojama is air-dried tuna, made from the loin of the fish. It is very expensive because of the process involved in producing it – tuna costs a lot anyway, but mojama has to be salted, pressed and washed, then dried for 20–25 days. You can keep any leftover mojama, wrapped, in the fridge for a couple of weeks.

You want mangoes that are sweet and ripe (but not overly so) here. Mangoes aren’t, of course, typical to Spain, but my mum always had some in the fruit basket when I was growing up.

Ideally you should leave the ajo blanco ingredients to sit overnight, though you could leave them for just a couple of hours if you’re pressed for time.

FOR 4–6

250g mojama

2 Kent or Alphonso mangoes

For the dressing

30ml soy sauce

15ml sesame oil

1 fresh red chilli, very finely chopped

60ml extra virgin olive oil

juice of 1 lime

¼ of a bunch of fresh coriander, leaves picked, finely chopped

10g ginger, finely grated

¼ of a bunch of fresh dill, finely chopped

For the ajo blanco

½ a large loaf of white bread

80g whole blanched almonds

1 clove of garlic, crushed

300ml whole milk

50g seedless red grapes, cut in half

3 Granny Smith apples, peeled and cut into small chunks

25ml Moscatel vinegar

150ml extra virgin olive oil

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

First, make the ajo blanco. Put the bread, almonds, garlic and milk into a bowl, mix together and refrigerate overnight. The next day, put the contents of the bowl into a food processor with the grapes, apples and vinegar and blend. Add the olive oil and continue blending until creamy and fairly smooth, then adjust the seasoning to taste.

Slice the mojama very thinly with a sharp knife – it doesn’t have to be paper-thin.

To make the dressing, mix all the ingredients together.

Peel each mango and cut into small cubes: to do this, cut around either side of the stone, then turn and cut the other two sides, using a spoon to scoop out any extra flesh.

Spoon the ajo blanco on to your plates. Mix the mango cubes with the dressing and spoon on top, then add the mojama. Finish with a drizzle of olive oil, and season with a little pepper.