Fricandó
Catalan veal stew of thin-cut steaks slow-braised with wild moixernon mushrooms in a wine-based sauce, finished with a picada.
Fricandó is one of the great slow-cooked dishes of Catalan home cooking. Thin slices of veal (sometimes beef) get floured and seared, then braised for an hour or more in a sauce built from sofregit, white wine, stock and dried wild mushrooms (the classic is moixernon, a small autumn mushroom). A picada of almonds, garlic and parsley goes in at the end to bind the sauce. The finished dish is dark, glossy, and savoury, served with the braising liquid spooned over the meat. The name comes from a French braised-veal dish but the Catalan version has been its own thing for centuries.
How it's served
On a flat plate, the veal slices fanned out with the mushrooms and a generous ladle of the dark sauce spooned over. Bread on the side for sopping. A traditional weekday lunch dish in Catalan homes and on classic Barcelona menus.
Regional variation
Moixernon (Calocybe gambosa) is the canonical mushroom and gives the dish its earthy, spring-mushroom character. Some restaurants substitute other wild mushrooms (rovellons, ceps) when moixernons aren't in season. The northern Catalan version (Empordà) often uses more wine and a longer reduction.
- Origin
- Catalonia
- Etymology
- From the French fricandeau (a braised cut of veal); adapted into Catalan cooking with local techniques and ingredients.
Where to try it in Barcelona
2 restaurants on Guidavera mention fricandó in their kitchen description.
Frequently asked
What is fricandó?
A Catalan veal stew of thin-cut steaks slow-braised with sofregit, white wine and wild mushrooms (usually moixernon), finished with a picada of almonds, garlic and parsley. Slow-cooking turns the meat fork-tender and reduces the sauce to a dark glossy gravy.
What's a moixernon?
A small, pale, spring wild mushroom (Calocybe gambosa) prized in Catalan cooking for its earthy, slightly sweet flavour. Fresh moixernons appear in April-May; dried ones are used the rest of the year. The mushroom is what makes a fricandó taste like a fricandó.
Is fricandó a Catalan or French dish?
Catalan, but with a French name. The word comes from the French fricandeau (a slow-braised veal dish), but the technique, the wild-mushroom partner and the picada finish are pure Catalan. It's been the same dish in Catalonia for at least two centuries.
Related terms
- SofritoA slow-cooked base of onion, tomato and garlic in olive oil. The starting point for most Spanish rice dishes, stews and sauces.
- PicadaA pounded paste of nuts, garlic, parsley and sometimes fried bread, stirred into a Catalan stew at the end to thicken and finish it.
- ButifarraThe Catalan family of pork sausages: fresh ones grilled over coals, cured blood-based ones, and a sweet lemon-and-sugar oddity from the Empordà.
- CanelonsCatalan cannelloni stuffed with chopped roast meat and béchamel, traditionally eaten on Boxing Day (Sant Esteve, 26 December) using the leftovers of Christmas dinner.