Lisa and Tony Sierra's Bacalao con Pimientos y Cebolla

January 16, 2017

Salt cod sautéed in garlic-infused olive oil, then smothered in a "pisto" of peppers, onions and tomatoes. It is such a simple and tasty dish. It is easy enough for a novice cook. Serve this fresh-tasting fish with home-made fried potatoes or rustic bread. This cod recipe is from the Basque Country or Pais Vasco.

What You'll need

1 lb salt cod
Water to cover cod
3 Dried red peppers (pimientos choriceros or other sweet dried peppers)
1 Large clove garlic
1 Yellow or white onion
Spanish virgin olive oil for frying
3 Italian green peppers
3 Ripe tomatoes
Salt to taste

How to make it

This cod with peppers and onions recipe makes 4 servings.
Salted cod fish must be soaked in water for AT LEAST 24 hours, preferably 48 hours before cooking. This is necessary to leach out the salt. Change the water 2-3 times in a 24-hour period. If the fish is not soaked for 24-48 hours, the fish will be so salty that it will not be edible!
Rinse the salt cod in water before soaking. Place the fish in a glass baking dish or bowl and cover with water. When ready to use, discard water, rinse fish again and pat dry. Cut into 8 pieces and set aside.
Remove stems from dried peppers and soak in a saucepan of hot water until softened.
Peel and slice garlic lengthwise. Peel and chop onion. Remove stems and seeds from green peppers and chop into small squares.
Pour about 4 oz of olive oil into a large frying pan and heat on medium. Place garlic slices in to oil and sauté for 2 minutes. Remove garlic slices before they brown and set aside for later. Place cod into the garlic-infused oil and fry on both sides for 5-10 minutes. Remove cod and set aside. Scrape the flesh from the inside of the re-hydrated peppers and stir into the pan juices.
In a separate large frying pan, sauté onion, peppers and tomatoes in a few tablespoons of olive oil. Sauté for 8-10 minutes, stirring often. When vegetables have formed a "pisto," turn off heat.

Source: The Spruce