Pickled Tongue, Basque-Style
Central California and Northern Nevada are dotted with Basque hotels (formerly home to the shepherds when they would come down from the hills for the winter). You sit at a shared table and enjoy a family-style meal that always includes baked chicken, pasta and vegetable soup, sometimes beef or lamb…. And, if you are lucky, a prized dish of pickled tongue. It’s not really pickled but marinated and, once you acquire the main ingredient, Pickled Tongue Basque-Style is super easy to prepare at home. A 2-3 pound tongue, sliced without the connective muscle at the back, will serve 6-8 as an appetizer portion.
Ingredients:
One beef tongue, or several lamb or pork tongues, 2-3 lbs total
Aromatics or pickling spices for cooking water
6-8 bay leaves for cooking water
1/3 c olive oil
1/3 c red wine vinegar
4 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
Chopped parsley or garden herbs (I used marjoram) for garnish
Method: cover tongue with water and bring to the boil. Lower heat to a simmer and add aromatics or pickling spices and bay leaves. Cover and cook one hour for each pound of tongue. Allow to cool enough to handle then peel being careful not to tear the underlying meat. (Fortunately the skin toward the tip, where the best slices can be found, is easier to remove than the skin toward the base of the tongue.)
Refrigerate overnight to firm up the meat. Slice on the bias into ¼ inch slices, starting at the tip*. You may want to stop before you get to the less-attractive connective muscle at the back, and use the remaining meat for sandwiches or a tongue hash.
Assemble the tongue pieces, salt and pepper, garlic, oil and vinegar and garnish in a bowl and toss to mix thoroughly. Allow to marinate 2 hours or longer. Arrange the tongue slices on a platter and serve cold.
*If you want to preserve the tongue-y bumps on the surface, cut carefully with a sharp knife. I found I got better results when I pulled the knife toward me rather than pushing it, for some reason. This recipe, which has several other interesting features and comes from a well-known Basque restaurant, suggests it will be easier to slice if it’s cold.
NOTE IMPORTANT EDIT: tongue should be peeled when it’s warm, instead of chilling it first. Recipe has been edited as of 4/22 to reflect this technique.
