MIGAS

Translated from Spanish, migas means “crumbs”. But there’s more to this dish of fried breadcrumbs than a way of using leftover sourdough. Sometimes called “shepherd’s breadcrumbs” or migas de pastor, migas can be made simply with bread, garlic and olive oil. Or, as seen on menus of late, it can be amped up with the likes of chorizo and grapes, kale, pancetta or tomato. “It’s so regional in Europe – you travel a hundred kilometres and the recipes change,” says Catalonian expat Javier Codina, chef and owner at Brisbane’s Moda Restaurant. Codina is a fan of migas Manchegas, from Castilla-La Mancha, at Moda; it’s made with grapes and dampened rather than presoaked crumbs to reduce fat. Pancetta, chorizo and a Spanish red pepper called pimiento choricero add more flavour. While Codina likes to serve his migas with grilled spatchcock, at MoVida Melbourne, lemon migas dial up calamari a la plancha with green mojo. FIONA DONNELLY