Sorropotún, with its striking and appealing name, already indicates flavour and intense emotions. A traditional seafood dish from Cantabria, and more specifically from the coastal town of San Vicente de la Barquera, it is still a referent of its cuisine today. Its origin is clearly Basque, strongly influenced by the marmitako imported by the large number of Basque fishermen who populated the coasts of Cantabria and Asturias during the 19th century.
The recipe for sorropotún is simple but with strong and intense flavours in which the cooking preparation is fundamental. By extracting the best of each ingredient, an incredible and comforting result can be achieved. Tuna, potatoes, onion, some tomato and bread; no big deal. Nevertheless, this dish is well worth trying!
Ingredients for sorropotún for 4 people
- 600 g of tuna
- 8 medium-sized potatoes
- 2 red onions
- 4 tomatoes
- 2 small green peppers
- Half a loaf of bread from the day before
- Water, salt and olive oil
How to make sorropotún
- To start with this delicious sorropotún recipe, peel and cut the onion and pepper into very small cubes. Peel the tomatoes and crush them, or you can use natural canned tomato sauce as well.
- In a frying pan, add a good splash of olive oil, covering the bottom well. Bring the oil to a medium-low heat and allow the onion to fry very slowly for at least 20 minutes until it is very soft. Once the onion is well cooked, turn the heat up a little to allow it to brown well; until it is dark in colour, but don’t overcook it!
- Once the onion is ready, add the tomato to the same pan and sauté until it is almost completely reduced, so that all the flavour is concentrated.
- While the onion is slowly cooking with the tomato, place a pot over medium-high heat with the potatoes cut into bite-sized pieces, the pepper and just enough water to cover both ingredients. Leave to cook for 30 minutes.
- When the potatoes have been cooking for 20 minutes, add the onion and tomato to the pot, well sautéed. Stir and leave to cook until the time is up.
- Once the potatoes are ready, add the lightly salted tuna cut into small pieces so that they are well distributed throughout the pot. Leave to cook over a medium-high heat for 3 minutes; then remove from the heat and leave to stand for a further 5 minutes. Check the sorropotún for seasoning and correct if necessary.
- Before serving, add half a loaf of sliced bread to the pan so that the sauce thickens and the bread takes on the flavour of all the ingredients. This last step is one of the essential touches that distinguishes sorropotún from Basque marmitako. All that remains is to serve and enjoy!
