Crostas are a tasty and traditional starter or main dish from Eivissa and Formentera that can be found in the most authentic restaurants and bars of the Pitiüses. As it is a family recipe there are numerous ways of preparing it, the most traditional includes stale bread or crostas, –the recipe for this special style of salad began as a way use up the pieces of stale bread that accumulated in the houses of the farmers who religiously baked their bread every 8 to ten days-, tomato, garlic and, of course, the island’s olive oil.
The “peix sec” de Formentera is optional, as is the suggestion of the restaurant Can Cires to add cubes of avocado to enhance the flavour and add a modern touch to the recipe.
Ingredients for one portion: 70 grams of crostas (approximately 1/2 loaf of stale bread or in the Balearics they can be found in any bakery, ), three medium ripe tomatoes from the Ibizan countryside, a handful or tablespoon of “peix sec” to taste, 1/2 avocado, one clove of garlic, three tablespoons of olive oil from the island and a pinch of salt.
To prepare the recipe, first grate the tomatoes in a large bowl, add the olive oil, salt (to taste), crushed garlic and the “peix sec” de Formentera. Mix everything together and add the crostas or stale bread cut into irregular pieces. Stir well until the crostas are well soaked in tomato. Finally, add the diced avocado and this traditional, healthy dish is ready to eat. It’s one of the easiest dishes to find on any Ibizan table.