Dates Stuffed with Sobrassada and Bacon
Recipes with Sobrassada de Mallorca
A tapa that turns up at Mallorcan bar menus and Christmas tables alike. Medjool dates are pitted, filled with sobrassada, wrapped in thin bacon, and roasted until the bacon crisps and the sobrassada heats through. Three flavours in one bite: the caramel sweetness of the date, the paprika-salt of the cured sausage, and the smoke of the bacon. The combination is not subtle, and that is the point.
Prep Time
15 min
Cook Time
12 min
Servings
4
Difficulty
Easy
Ingredients
- 16 large Medjool dates
- 80 g sobrassada, casing removed
- 8 thin rashers streaky bacon, halved crossways
- Toothpicks for securing
Steps
Preheat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan). Line a small baking tray with baking paper.
Make a lengthwise slit in each date and remove the stone. Open the date slightly without splitting it in two.
Press about a teaspoon of sobrassada into each date cavity. Close the date around the filling.
Wrap each stuffed date tightly with a half-rasher of bacon, overlapping the ends. Secure with a toothpick through the centre.
Place on the lined tray and roast for 10 to 12 minutes, turning once at the halfway point, until the bacon is browned and slightly crisp. The sobrassada will have melted inside.
Remove the toothpicks before serving if desired, or leave them in as handles. Serve hot, straight from the tray.
Tips
Medjool dates work better here than drier varieties because the flesh is soft and caramel-sweet, which provides the right counterpoint to the salt of the sobrassada. If the bacon is thick-cut, par-cook it for 3 minutes before wrapping: thick bacon needs more time in the oven and can burn on the outside while the date is still cold inside.