Xató (Catalan Endives and Fish)
Xató is a Catalan salad of bitter curly endive, salt-cured fish and olives, dressed in a sauce pounded by hand from nuts, garlic and dried nyora peppers. The mortar is the point: crushing almonds, hazelnuts and bread together gives a rough, nutty dressing that clings to the leaves. The salty tuna, cod and anchovies against the sharp greens make a strong, balanced plate, and the tradition of piling it into a tall mound adds some fun at the table.
Instructions
Put the almonds, hazelnuts, the 2 cured anchovies, garlic, nyores pulp, chile if using, bread, vinegar and a little salt into a mortar. Crush everything together into a thick, coarse paste. You can soak the bread in the vinegar first or add the vinegar separately.
Stir olive oil into the paste to loosen it into a sauce. Taste it and adjust the salt and vinegar as you like.
Wash the curly endives and leave them to soak in water. Drain them well before using.
Rinse the salt from the 12 anchovies, the tuna and the cod. Tear the tuna and cod into pieces, then combine them in a large bowl with the endives.
Add the olives, then pour over the sauce. Toss well so every leaf and piece of fish is coated.
Serve the salad piled high, shaping the endive into a small castle.
Make it personal.
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