Mallorca Potato Salad: Ensalada de Patatas Mallorquinas

"Mallorca," also spelled by some as "Majorca" (pronounced like "mah-yor-kah"), is an island of the Balearic Islands archipeligo in the Mediterranean Sea off the eastern coast of Spain. The islands are a part of Spain, and Mallorca is "about" 130 miles from mainland Spain. As with people in the mainland Catalonia region of northeastern Spain, people on Mallorca speak Catalan* as well as Spanish. Mallorca is a common vacation spot for many western Europeans, and it is known for its beaches and landscape, as well as its abundant sunshine.

 

Spain is known for its "tapas:" that is, "snacks," or small servings of various foods, and tapas are a whole part of what it means to be Spanish. This recipe appeals to me very much, as I am a guy who likes potatoes and seafood, and this dish gives me both. The basic recipe here is from one of the Spanish cookbooks I've owned for some time: "A Spanish Family Cookbook" (revised edition) by Juan and Susan Serrano, Hippocrene Books, New York, originally published 1993, revised editions in 1997 and 2000. 

 

Please don't get all shook up about anchovy fillets. Rinse and finely chop them, and they will not stand out in the potato salad like you experienced with your first and last bite of anchovy pizza when you were 9 years old. Anchovies are a common addition to recipes in the region of the Mediterranean Sea, but they are more commonly used to supplement a dish, not to dominate it.  

Ingredients:

2 pounds small red potatoes

2/3 to 3/4 cup mayonnaise (low fat type is fine)

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 to 1 teaspoon of salt

1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar

4 anchovy fillets, rinsed and chopped

1 can (about 4 to 5 ounces) sardines in olive oil (I use boneless and skinless sardines)**

lemon wedges

black olives (I buy black olives from a deli, I'm not a big fan of canned black olives)

chopped parsley for garnish

(Optional) hardboiled egg slices or quarters for garnish

Cook the potatoes in their skins until tender, but still somewhat firm and not mushy. Drain the potatoes and slice them into a bowl ("middle size" slices, or as some say, "not thin and not thick slices"). Add 2/3 cup mayonnaise and gently mix the mayo into the potato slices (if you prefer, add more mayo by the tablespoon, then mix, until you get the amount of mayo you like). Add the ground black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon salt (you can add more later, if desired), white wine vinegar and chopped anchovies; mix to disperse the flavors of the ingredients, but do so as to not break up the potato slices. Serve on small individual plates with a couple of pieces of sardines, a few black olives and some chopped parsley on top and a lemon wedge on the side. Optionally you can include a couple slices of hardboiled egg.   

* Catalan is a distinct language from Spanish, although both languages are Latin-based. While Spanish is the national language of Spain, Catalan is spoken from northeastern Spain and southward along much of the eastern areas of Spain's Mediterranean coast, including on the Balearic Islands, where it is also an official language. Catalan is the official language of the tiny nation of Andorra, which is located in the eastern part of the Pyrennes Mountains between Spain and France.

** I've tried making this salad by using the olive oil from the sardines, but I found it to be too much "fish taste;" so, I suggest draining the oil from the sardines.

WORD HISTORY:

Modicum-This word is related to "moderate," a word of Latin derivation borrowed by English, and to "modest," another Latin word borrowed via French, to "mode," still another Latin word "likely" borrowed via French, but with Latin reinforcement (or perhaps the other way around?), to "medication," another Latin word, but borrowed by English via French, and to "mete," a word from the Germanic roots of English. "Modicum" goes back to Indo European "med," which had the notions "to measure (out), to act appropriately" (that is, "after consideration;" that is, "after measuring the action"). This gave Latin "modus," meaning "a proper measure, a method or way of acting or arranging;" thus also, "a proper quantity." This produced the Latin adjective "modicus," meaning "considered, reasonable;" thus also, "moderate, not of great extent or amount." The neuter form of "modicus" was "modicum," which was used as a noun meaning "a small amount, a lesser extent, a limited amount." English borrowed the word in the latter part of the 1400s.