Pipirrana

A version of a traditional Spanish salad, extremely flavorful and refreshing on hot summer days. Sadly but unsurprisingly, I found out in the US that the quality hugely depends on the ingredients. Southern Spain grows amazingly flavorful peppers and onions, and their tomatoes are delicious as well. It is difficult to reproduce outside of the region.

Ingredients
1 can sardines or 4 oz crab sticks
1 lemon
sea salt
3-4 jalapenos (or local Spanish green peppers)
1 red onion
2-3 large, sweet tomatoes
2 tbsp Spanish extra virgin olive oil

Preparation
Slice the peppers into 1/8-inch wide slices, then cut into 1-inch pieces. Dice the onions similarly. Toss with 0.5 tsp salt and the olive oil. Allow to sit at room temperature for 15 minutes.

Dice the tomatoes and mix into the pepper and onion mix. Squeeze on the juice of the lemon and add more salt as necessary. Cut in the sardines or crab sticks in bite-size pieces. Sprinkle with smoked Spanish paprika. Season with more salt, as necessary. Serve with crusty bread and olive oil for dipping.