Bacalao a la Vizcaina

Bacalao a la vizcaina

Bacalao a la Vizcaína uses one of Spain’s staple ingredients: bacalao, or salted cod. This dish complements the salty cod with a spicy and complex Vizcaina sauce, a specialty most associated with this dish but also used in various other seafood recipes. There is a vibrant debate among Spanish cooks as to whether the red color of the Vizcaina sauce originally came from tomatoes or red pepper. While peppers were available in Spain for years before tomatoes arrived from the New World, both versions of the dish bring vibrant color and flavor. Recipe Servings: Serves 6

Prep Time

15 minutes
+ 48 hours resting

Cook Time

25 minutes

Total Time

48 hours 40 minutes

Vegetarian

Vegan

Gluten Free

Dairy Free

Kosher

Halal

Ingredients

2 large loins salted cod
3 dried red peppers, choriceros or similar
1 cup (150 g) onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1 Tbsp (15 ml) flour
2 cups (500 ml) fish stock
1 tsp (5 ml) salt
oil, for frying

Directions

Place salted cod in a large bowl and cover with water. Soak the fish for 36–48 hours, refreshing the water every 12 hours. In the final 12 hours, add the dried red peppers to the water.
Drain the water and pat the cod and peppers dry.
Remove the skin, stem, and seeds from the rehydrated red pepper.
Heat olive oil in a large pan or wok. Sauté the onions until they begin to brown, then add the red pepper, tomatoes, and garlic cloves. Cook for a few minutes before sprinkling the pan with flour. Mix thoroughly and cook for a few minutes.
Slowly pour fish stock into the pan, stirring constantly. When the sauce is thick, add the cod to the pan and mix to coat. Serve hot.