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cocotxas!

athinaeos
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athinaeos

athinaeos

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:biggrin:

Happy New Year to All!

:rolleyes:

I prepared cocotxas pil-pil for lunch today and they were UNBELIEVABLE!!!

:wink:

I would like to ask for recipes as the flavors and the flesh texture of the cheeks are extremely sensitive.

In addition, what wine do you drink with the dish?

Many thanks and Happy Eating!!!

athinaeos

civilization is an everyday affair

the situation is hopeless, but not very serious

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John S.

John S.

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I prepared cocotxas pil-pil for lunch today and they were UNBELIEVABLE!!!

I would like to ask for recipes as the flavors and the flesh texture of the cheeks are  extremely sensitive.

I never heard of them either. Sounds Aztec. Can you post your recipe?

John S.

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hummingbirdkiss

hummingbirdkiss

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I tried to google it and found there was a Basque dish and it is most likely fish and it sounds great from what I could figure out from what I found ..I love halibut cheeks and would love a new recipe

I personally just cook them with olive oil and garlic fresh parsley and a nice Pinot Grigio splashed on the cheeks to finish them and the same wine served with them is perfect as far as I am concerned

but I am assuming we are talking about fish cheeks here and not sure what the whole dish is mentioned above?

Edited by hummingbirdkiss (log)
why am I always at the bottom and why is everything so high? 

why must there be so little me and so much sky?

Piglet 

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TheSwede

TheSwede

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If we are talking about fish cheeks here, could someone enlighten me how you get enough of them to make a whole dish? Beg your fishmonger for 25 fish heads and then butcher them?

I've read about fish cheek dishes, would love to make one, but the practical details have always been a bit fuzzy to me...

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athinaeos

athinaeos

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what kind of cheeks are these? fish or?

I have never heard of this dish

they are cheeks of bacalao or hake

they have been kept in salt for a minimum of two weeks and require de-salting before cooking

athinaeos

civilization is an everyday affair

the situation is hopeless, but not very serious

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athinaeos

athinaeos

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pil-pil is a traditional Basque recipe for cooking fish like bacalao or hake

you simmer chopped garlic in pure olive oil and medium heat, and after the parfume starts to come out you put in the fish (filets or cheeks)

the secret is to continuously shake the pan (it should have a thick bottom!) so that all the juices that come out of the fish flesh blend in with the hot oil and emulsify into a thick olive sause that is out of this world

when you serve you can sprinklesome parsley on top, but do not cook it with the fish

i strongly recommend to use top quality lightly salted fish

i use cuts i get from spain

athinaeos

civilization is an everyday affair

the situation is hopeless, but not very serious

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athinaeos

athinaeos

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If we are talking about fish cheeks here, could someone enlighten me how you get enough of them to make a whole dish? Beg your fishmonger for 25 fish heads and then butcher them?

I've read about fish cheek dishes, would love to make one, but the practical details have always been a bit fuzzy to me...

my understanding is that the whole operation takes place on deep ocean fishing vessels that spend a few days in the Atlantic

when they catch the fish, e.g. bacalao, they process it through a production line that creates more than 15 different cuts, which are placed in different containers and salted

in a fishmonger in Bilbao or San Sebastian you can buy the cuts whose price ranges from 2 to 40 euros; likewise in Cataluna

i have not been able to find this impressive variety and quality in athens where i live

athinaeos

civilization is an everyday affair

the situation is hopeless, but not very serious

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mtigges

mtigges

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If we are talking about fish cheeks here, could someone enlighten me how you get enough of them to make a whole dish? Beg your fishmonger for 25 fish heads and then butcher them?

Most decent fish stores around here have lots of halibut cheeks available. And they're delicious. But I usually only serve them as an appetizer or a pair of smaller-portioned proteins. I really like pairing them with scallops.

I poach them in butter.

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hummingbirdkiss

hummingbirdkiss

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Ok we get salt bacalao here but it is a salt cod and I have never seen salted cod cheeks in the US I would love to try this actually I use salt cod quite a bit I will have to ask if this is something we can get

eta our halibut cheeks can be pretty large here and if you have never tried them by all means you should because they are very good! I eat two large ones for my own dinner actually I usually buy five for two of us

Edited by hummingbirdkiss (log)
why am I always at the bottom and why is everything so high? 

why must there be so little me and so much sky?

Piglet 

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