← Nouns Cooking · Spanish

Ingredients

• 600 g thick salt cod loins, skin on (4 pieces)
• 250 ml mild olive oil (not a peppery extra virgin)
• 6 cloves Garlic, thinly sliced
• 1 guindilla or small dried chilli, cut into rings
• 1 tbsp Parsley, finely chopped (optional)

Method

1. Soak the cod in a large bowl of cold water in the fridge for 36 hours, changing the water every 8 hours, until a flake tastes pleasantly seasoned rather than salty. Pat the pieces very dry and pick out any bones.
2. Put the oil, garlic and chilli in a wide earthenware or heavy pan that fits the cod snugly. Warm over low heat for 4–5 min, until the garlic is pale gold, then lift out the garlic and chilli and set aside. Let the oil cool for 5 min.
3. Lay the cod in the warm oil skin-side up and cook over the lowest heat for 5 min; the oil should barely shiver, never fry. Turn the pieces skin-side down and cook for 5 min more, gently shaking the pan, until white droplets of gelatine gather in the oil.
4. Lift the cod onto a plate. Pour most of the oil into a jug, leaving the cloudy juices in the pan.
5. Off the heat, pour the oil back in a thin stream while swirling the pan in small circles (or whisking with a small sieve or balloon whisk). Keep going for 5–8 min, until the sauce turns pale, thick and creamy like a loose mayonnaise. Add any juice the cod releases on the plate.
6. Return the cod skin-side up to the sauce and warm it over very low heat for 2 min, shaking the pan. Scatter with the garlic, chilli and parsley and serve with crusty bread.

Tips

• Many Spanish delis sell salt cod already desalted (bacalao desalado), which skips the 36-hour soak.
• If the sauce splits, take it off the heat, add a teaspoon of warm water and swirl again: it nearly always comes back.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Foods & Wines from Spain Directo al Paladar