Due to the abundance of fish in the waters around the Canary Islands, fish specialties have always been a prominent feature of the islands’ cuisine, with dried fish (called pescado seco in Spanish) being one of them. The fish are prepared according to age-old traditional methods of preserving fish that have been handed down through generations and allowed the fish to keep well for long periods in the pre-refrigeration era.

Pescado seco is typically made by cleaning, cutting, salting, and then drying the fish outside in the sun and wind, and it usually includes two traditional fish specialties, namely the jareas and the tollos. The first one typically uses smaller fish such as parrotfish or wreckfish, which are cut open, salted, and then allowed to dry in the sun for about four days, during which the fish acquire a distinctive, rich flavor and firm flesh.

Typical of Fuerteventura and Lanzarote, the jareas are often roasted. The latter specialty, on the other hand, is made by salting and drying strips of a dogfish or shark, which are then usually cooked and served in a sauce. Dried fish specialties are a staple item at numerous restaurants and are also commonly prepared at home, and they are often accompanied by a type of sauce called mojo.