Best Spanish Cod Recipes

SPANISH COD

Steps:

• Heat butter and olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook and stir onions and garlic until onions are slightly tender, being careful not to burn the garlic. Add tomato sauce and cherry tomatoes, and bring to a simmer. Stir in green olives and marinated vegetables, and season with black pepper, cayenne pepper, and paprika. Cook fillets in sauce over medium heat for 5 to 8 minutes, or until easily flaked with a fork. Serve immediately.

SPANISH BASQUE SALT COD CASSEROLE (BACALAO A LA VIZCAINA)

Steps:

• Cut cod into 6 equal servings.
• To remove salt, soak about 20 hours in fresh cold water, changing water 4 to 5 times.
• Several hours before you plan to cook the cod, start the sauce (for which they take over 5 hours in Spain, but you may need less).
• In large skillet with cover, or Dutch oven, heat oil, 1/4 cup lard, bacon, and ham. When mixture bubbles, add onion, whole garlic cloves, and parsley. Cover, turn down heat as low as possible and cook for 3 hours, or until onion is very soft but not at all burned. Add boiling water and continue simmering for 2 hours longer, or until onions are completely fallen apart. Add more boiling water as necessary to keep from sticking. Add pimientos, tomatoes, and egg yolks mashed with bread crumbs and mixed to a fine paste with a little cold water. Simmer for a few minutes longer.
• Put everything through a sieve, food mill, or blender so you have a smooth sauce. Add salt and pepper to taste, and if you want to be authentic, a dash of cayenne.
• Meanwhile, when cod has soaked for 20 hours, dry it thoroughly with paper towels. Remove any scales, being careful not to damage the skin (which adds a smooth, gelatinous quality to the finished dish's sauce). In large saucepan, combine cod and unsalted cold water to cover; bring to a boil. As soon as water starts to boil, take out the pieces of cod; carefully remove bones.
• Grease a heatproof casserole with lard or bacon fat. In it, arrange a layer of cod; pour sauce over; repeat until all the cod and sauce are used up. Sauce should cover the fish, not drown it. Cook slowly until fish is done, about 20 minutes.
• During cooking, shake the casserole often so the sauce runs to the bottom. Also, with a wide pancake turner or spatula, losen the bottom layer of fish often to keep it from sticking, being careful not to break the pieces.
• Taste from time to time, and add salt and pepper if necessary; or a pinch of sugar if the cod is make the sauce too salty.
• Finished dish should be savory, neither too salty, too peppery, not too sweet, and of a good red color. Makes 6 servings.

BACALAO ESPANOL (SPANISH COD)

Steps:

• 1. Soak codfish for 24 hours in enough cold water to cover it. 2. Drain and shred the fish. 3. Saute the onion in the oil until it is softened. 4. Add codfish and saute a few more minutes then add the remaining ingredients. 5. Simmer slowly until codfish is tender, about 1/2 hour or more.

SPANISH COD WITH CHORIZO AND FENNEL

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees, with racks in upper and lower thirds. Fold four 16-by-12-inch pieces of parchment in half; unfold and place one-quarter of fennel and chorizo along each crease. Season both sides of fish with salt and pepper; place one fillet on each package. Top with tomatoes, garlic, butter, and wine. Remove zest from orange with a vegetable peeler; thinly slice into strips to yield 1 tablespoon. Scatter evenly among packages; squeeze 1 teaspoon juice over each. Fold parchment over to enclose, making small overlapping folds along edges to seal. Transfer to 2 rimmed baking sheets.
• Roast, switching rack positions once, until parchment puffs and fish is cooked through, 14 to 16 minutes. Place each package in a shallow bowl and open carefully, allowing steam to escape. Serve with fennel fronds, a drizzle of oil, and toasts.

SPANISH COD

Steps:

• Heat butter and olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook and stir onions and garlic until onions are slightly tender, being careful not to burn the garlic. Add tomato sauce and cherry tomatoes, and bring to a simmer. Stir in green olives and marinated vegetables, and season with black pepper, cayenne pepper, and paprika. Cook fillets in sauce over medium heat for 5 to 8 minutes, or until easily flaked with a fork. Serve immediately.

SPANISH CHICKPEAS AND COD (GARBANZOS CON BACALAO)

Steps:

• The night before you have to desalt the cod in a bowl with water (change the water two or three times). Use another large bowl with water and put the dried chickpeas inside.
• Cut the potato in cubes, deseed the pepper,peel the onion. Cut the cod in portions.
• In a pressured cooker put all the ingredients and add water to cover it all. Let it cook for about 20 minutes or until chickpeas are done.
• Add now some salt and pepper if necessary. You can remove the garlic head, garlic, tomato and pepper or mince them. Serve hot.

SPANISH POACHED COD

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in large (10-12") skillet (with lid, you'll need that later) over medium heat. When hot, add peppers and onions and saute, stirring frequently, till softened, about 7 minutes.
• Sprinkle onions and peppers with paprika and saute another minute, then add tomatoes and cauliflower florets. Cook, stirring frequently, for a few minutes, till tomatoes mush up. Add wine and stir till well combined. Taste and season with salt to taste.
• Bring mixture to a healthy simmer, then nestle cod fillets into sauce (push cauliflower out of the way as needed, sauce should come about halfway up sides of the fillets). Cover and cook till fish flakes easily with a fork (15-20 minutes is a good estimate, but really it depends on how thick your fillets are).
• When fish is cooked, remove fillets from pan carefully (so they don't break) and set aside--keep warm.
• Turn heat up to medium high and reduce sauce and vegetables to a thick salsa-ish consistency.
• Plate fish and spoon sauce over the top. Excellent served with brown saffron rice.

BAKED COD SPANISH STYLE

Steps:

• Cut cod into 1/2 inch strips (the whole fish fillet is ok ).
• Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
• Place on an olive oil coated baking sheet.
• Sprinkle with onion and bell pepper.
• Pour tomatoes and black olives around cod.
• Bake in hot oven 375 degrees Fahrenheit until fish is just tender, about 30 minutes.
• Remove fish to serving platter.
• Mix flour with a little water and pour over the sauce.
• Pour over fish; garnish with watercress if desired.

AJOARRIERO - SPANISH SALT COD AND RED PEPPER SALAD

Steps:

• Prepare the salt cod.
• Soak the fish for at least 24 or as much as 48 hours, changing the water three to four times each day.
• When the cod has softened, remove any skin and bones.
• Shred the fish, tearing it into thin strips with your hands.
• Prepare the peppers.
• Char the peppers over an open flame (If you don't have a grill or a gas stove, you'll have to do this in the broiler--which requires care to avoid burning).
• Using tongs, turn the peppers frequently until the skin is blackened and blistered.
• Transfer the charred peppers to a brown paper bag, roll it closed and let the peppers sit in the bag for 15 to 20 minutes.
• Using a paring knife, carefully scrape the blackened skin away.
• Cut the peppers open, remove and discard the seeds and white membrane.
• Slice the peppers into strips or chunks.
• Prepare the potatoes.
• Peel the potatoes and cut them into chunks.
• Add them to a pan of rapidly boiling salted water.
• Cook, covered, for 10 to 12 minutes until the potatoes are tender.
• Drain.
• As soon as the potatoes are cool enough to handle, slice them about 1/4 inch thick into a salad bowl.
• While the potatoes are still warm, add three tablespoons of the oil, the vinegar and salt and pepper to taste.
• Prepare the salad.
• Add the shredded cod fish and the sliced pepper to the potatoes and toss gently.
• Cover bowl with plastic wrap and set aside at room temperature for about an hour.
• When you are ready to serve, arrange the salad on a serving platter.
• Heat the remaining olive oil in a saute pan over medium heat.
• Add and brown the garlic slices.
• Pour this hot garlic and oil over the salad and serve.

BACALAO ESPANOL (SPANISH COD)

Steps:

• Soak codfish for 8 hours in enough cold water to cover it.
• Drain and shred the fish.
• Saute the onion in the oil until it is softened.
• Add codfish and saute a few more minutes.
• Add the remaining ingredients.
• Simmer slowly until codfish is tender, about 1/2 hour or more.