PREPARATION TIME: 40 MINUTES

COOKING TIME: 30 MINUTES

MAKES: SHARING PLATE FOR 6 OR MORE

MIXED TAPAS PLATE

There is one place in the world I’ve visited that screams ‘street food’ but not the sort you see being sold out of roadside carts. This is more about the ‘streets’ of food; I’m talking about the lanes and alleyways of San Sebastian on the Basque coast, not quite Spanish, not quite French but most definitely Basque. A place where you can walk from bar to bar sampling incredible small plates, tapas or pintxos, along with small tumblers of draught beer and wine to wash it all down. Here is a selection of my favourites including: smoked fish croquetas with aïoli, grilled smoky peppers, fried chorizo and morcilla, and breads served together as a mixed tapas plate.

SMOKED FISH CROQUETAS

250 g (9 oz) smoked cod, skin removed, pin-boned and cut into large chunks (see note)

250 ml (9 fl oz/1 cup) milk

olive oil

3 x 900 g (2 lb) large roasted (desiree) potatoes

1 small white onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, crushed

3 free-range eggs

¼ cup chopped dill

¼ cup flat-leaf (Italian) parsley, chopped

juice of ½ lemon

sea salt

120 g (4¼ oz/2 cups) panko breadcrumbs (see note)

SMOKED FISH CROQUETAS

Place the smoked cod pieces into a small saucepan and cover with the milk. Bring gently to a simmer and poach for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, put a little olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat and cook the white onion and garlic until translucent. Scoop out the insides of the freshly roasted potatoes and pass them through a mouli (potato ricer), sieve or mash it well with a potato masher, then add it to the saucepan. Cook for 1–2 minutes to combine well with the onion and garlic. Remove from the heat and place in a large stainless steel bowl.

Once the cod has finished poaching, remove it from the milk with a slotted spoon and flake gently into the potato mix. Along with the cod, add 1 of the eggs, the dill, parsley, lemon juice and a pinch of sea salt to season (if the mix is too dry you can add a spoon of the poaching liquid, however this shouldn’t be necessary).

Allow the mix to cool slightly. Mould the mix into 10 cm (4 inch) sausage-like shapes (croquetas), however they don’t have to be too perfect, just do your best. When these are all made, place the croquetas on a tray and leave in the fridge to chill for 30 minutes or until needed.

Beat the remaining two eggs and place in a shallow dish. On a separate plate or tray spread out the panko crumbs. Roll the croquetas through the egg. Then repeat the process in the breadcrumbs to coat.

Fill a deep-fryer or large heavy-based saucepan one-third full with vegetable oil and heat over medium heat to 180°C (350°F) or until a cube of bread dropped into the oil browns in 15 seconds. Working in batches, cook the croquetas for 3–4 minutes or until crisp and golden brown. Place on paper towel to drain the excess oil and continue with the remaining croquetas (cooked croquetas can be placed in a warm oven to keep warm until they are all cooked and ready to serve).

Serve the croquetas with a little aïoli as part of your mixed tapas plate.