While writing a recent article on the curious history of solomillo al whisky I realised that the recipe I had originally posted here back in 2011 needed updating, so here it is. And yes, there is no whisky in it. Click on the link to read the origin story of this quintessential sevillana tapa.

My favourite version of this sauce has a nice lemony zing to balance out the richness of the butter and olive oil. It’s also quite versatile. In many tapas bars they also serve it over warm tortilla de patatas, and of course in a mantecaíto, which is basically a solomillo al whisky tapa (sauce, chips and all) in a bun.

Ingredients and instructions below…

• 1 head of garlic, cloves separated and unpeeled
• 100 ml extra virgin olive oil
• 200 ml brandy
• 200 ml hot starlux double beef broth
• 80-100 ml fresh lemon juice (2-3 lemons)
• 40 gr butter

Heat the olive oil up to med-high, stir until the garlic cloves, toss them in the oil. Then lower heat and stir until the cloves are nicely browned (but not burnt!), about ten minutes. Then turn the heat up and add the brandy, stirring quickly until the alcohol evaporates a bit. Add the hot broth, lemon juice and butter, stir and mix well and when it starts to bubble turn the heat down to med-low and let simmer for about ten minutes or until the garlic cloves are tender. If you want you can add more broth and cook a little longer.

For a vegetarian option swap out the beef broth for veggie broth and serve over tortilla de patatas. For solomillo al whisky do this…

• 1 pork solomillo – tenderloin (approx 400 grams)
• 2-3 tbsp olive oil
• salt & freshly ground black pepper

Season the pork tenderloin and then slice into medallions. Put 2-3 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet, add the pork and sear the meat on both sides until lightly browned. Place the solomillo medallions in the sauce for a minute or two to heat through.

tortilla de patatas al whisky (at home)

mantecaíto with abanico instead of solomillo (at home)

solomillo al whisky perfection at Bar La Gallega, Sevilla