Spanish Basque Salt Cod Casserole (Bacalao a La Vizcaina)

⏱ 390 mins 🍽 6 serving(s) 🏷 Spanish

This traditional Spanish Basque casserole features salt cod in a luxuriously smooth, slow-simmered sauce. The preparation involves a lengthy soaking process for the fish and a patient cook for the sauce, which is built from onions, pimientos, tomatoes, and cured meats. The final bake melds the flavours together, resulting in a deeply savoury and colourful dish that is famously excellent when reheated the following day. It yields 6 servings.

Spanish Basque Salt Cod Casserole (Bacalao a La Vizcaina)

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs dried salt cod fish, best quality (use only the lean side portions, not the fatty center)
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 1/4 cup lard
  • 1/4 lb bacon, diced
  • 1/4 lb smoked ham, diced
  • 4 large mild red onions, chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 3 parsley sprigs
  • 2 cups boiling water
  • 8 -10 canned pimientos, diced (enough to give the finished dish a rich red color)
  • 3 tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and cubed
  • 2 hard-cooked egg yolks
  • water
  • 1/2 cup soft breadcrumbs
  • salt and pepper
  • 1 dash cayenne
  • sugar (optional)

Method

  1. Slice the cod into six equal pieces.
  2. Soak the cod for about 20 hours in fresh cold water to desalt it, refreshing the water 4 to 5 times during this period.
  3. Begin preparing the sauce several hours before you intend to cook the fish.
  4. Warm the olive oil, 1/4 cup lard, bacon, and ham in a large covered skillet or Dutch oven. Once the mixture bubbles, introduce the chopped onion, whole garlic cloves, and parsley sprigs. Cover the pan, reduce the heat to its lowest setting, and cook for 3 hours until the onion is very tender without browning. Pour in 2 cups boiling water and continue to simmer for 2 more hours until the onions disintegrate, adding more boiling water as needed to prevent sticking. Stir in the diced pimientos, cubed tomatoes, and the egg yolks mashed with breadcrumbs into a paste using a little cold water. Allow this to simmer for a few additional minutes.
  5. Pass the entire sauce mixture through a sieve, food mill, or blender to achieve a smooth consistency. Season with salt, pepper, and a dash of cayenne to taste.
  6. After the 20-hour soak, pat the cod pieces completely dry with paper towels. Gently remove any scales, taking care to leave the skin intact. Place the cod in a large saucepan and cover with unsalted cold water. Bring to a boil and immediately remove the cod pieces to carefully take out any bones.
  7. Use lard or bacon fat to grease a heatproof casserole dish. Arrange a layer of cod in the dish and spoon some sauce over it. Repeat these layers until all the fish and sauce are used, ensuring the sauce covers but does not submerge the fish. Cook gently for about 20 minutes until the fish is done.
  8. Frequently shake the casserole during cooking so the sauce circulates to the bottom. Also, use a wide spatula to gently loosen the bottom layer of fish to avoid sticking, being careful not to break the pieces.
  9. Taste the dish occasionally as it cooks, adjusting the seasoning with more salt and pepper if required. A pinch of sugar can be added if the cod makes the sauce overly salty.
  10. The completed casserole should be richly savoury, not excessively salty, peppery, or sweet, and have a good red colour. It makes 6 servings.

Nutrition (per serving)

Sodium11158000 mg

Recipe details

CategorySpanish
AuthorOlha7397