Capellanes Secos — Traditional Salted Hake | SalazonArte
Dried capellanes (salted hake): the traditional Valencian salted fish. They are flame-grilled and preserved in oil with ñoras. From Valencia's Central Market.
Product with a long shelf life thanks to traditional salting and drying. Preserved in oil with ñoras after preparation, it remains in perfect condition for months.
The quintessential Valencian salted fish: a permanent fixture on the salted fish counters of the Central Market since forever.
A classic preparation: whole gutted (eviscerated) capellanes, with heads on, washed with salt, and sun-dried in natural drying facilities.
Just fish and salt: 100% natural, no additives or preservatives.
A product for "cooking the ritual": it is grilled over an open flame or embers, peeled, and preserved in oil with ñoras – the original Mediterranean pantry.
Intense flavor with a reward: among the products with the best flavor-to-price ratio of all salted fish.
Flavor: intense and deep, like Mediterranean cured fish, with the smoky touch given by its time over the flame.
Texture: firm and and consistent when dry; roasted and in oil, it softens and flakes into juicy pieces.
Aroma: marine and evocative — the smell of roasted salted and dried cod is, for half of Valencia, the smell of childhood.
Approximately 500g package
Energy value: 950 kJ / 225 kcal
Fat: 2.5 g— of which saturates0.6 g
Carbohydrates: 0 g— of which sugars0 g
Protein: 48 g
Salt: 12 g (reduced when roasted and preserved in oil)
Source of high-quality proteins and essential fatty acids. Low in additives, natural and healthy product.
The classic ritual (this is how it's done in Valencia):
Roast the capellán directly over an open flame or embers, turning it frequently, until the skin is slightly charred and perfumes the kitchen.
Wrap it in newspaper or a cloth for a couple of minutes (the steam loosens the skin), peel it, and flake it, removing the spine.
Eat it as is with good EVOO... or move on to the next level:
In oil with ñoras: place the flakes in a jar, add chopped ñoras (and a garlic clove if you like), and cover with olive oil. After 24 hours, it's sublime; it lasts for months in the fridge.
And then:
In esgarraet or espencat: the flaked fish in oil replaces or accompanies cod — the capellán version, for purists.
On toast with its ñora oil: the definitive Valencian snack.
In tomato salads, with homemade black olives — the circle is complete.
Pairing: cold beer or local wine; this doesn't call for champagne, it calls for honesty.
Mediterranean and Atlantic silver hake, salt-cured and sun-dried according to the traditional Valencian "capellán" method — the popular salted fish that for generations was a winter protein source along the entire Levantine coast and today is a rediscovered market delicacy. Selected by SalazonArte for their stall at Valencia's Central Market, where the "capellán" is living history.
Dried product: store in a cool, dry and ventilated place, protected from humidity.
Once roasted and cleaned: in a jar covered with oil (with or without ñoras), in the refrigerator — it keeps for months and improves with time.
The oil in the jar, perfumed with ñora and capellan, is gold for dressing: never throw it away.
FISH
Hake and salt.
