The steak version of the fried fish in adobo from Tragatá in Ronda. I asked for it: the same adobo, but instead of marinating fish in it, it is reduced into a pan sauce and spooned over chargrilled beef. Same wrap-and-dip ritual, Adelaide beef edition.
The adobo is an ancient Andalusian marinade — sherry vinegar, garlic, paprika, cumin, oregano and bay. Reduced with a little honey and whisked with olive oil it becomes a glossy, spoonable sauce: sharp, smoky and cumin-forward, somewhere between a chimichurri and a romesco in spirit.
This is NOT the Mexican adobo (the chilli paste that chipotles come tinned in) and not Filipino adobo either. “Adobo” just means “marinade” in Spanish. The Andalusian original has zero chilli — the paprika gives colour and smoke, not heat.
The base adobo makes more than the sauce needs. The rest keeps a week refrigerated, and is the marinade for the Fried Fish in Adobo.
One buying tip: cumin and smoked paprika go stale fast — buy fresh, or toast whole cumin seeds and grind them for a serious upgrade.
