Mojama

Mojama (thon séché)

What it is

The word comes from the Arabic musama, dried, but the practice is Phoenician: the salting works at Gadir — today's Cádiz — were curing tuna from the almadraba traps three thousand years ago. Two days buried in salt and fifteen to twenty in the sea wind leave a loin that has lost most of its water and behaves like a ham rather than a fish.

In the kitchen

Slice it against the grain, as thin as a long knife will allow, then let the slices sit ten minutes under olive oil before serving. Straight from the block it is merely salty and tough.

Goes with

Olive oil Marcona almond Tomato Orange Sherry vinegar Fino sherry

Same species

Albacore Maguro-bushi Tuna bottarga Tuna Tuna belly (toro) Ventresca

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