Bacalao a la Vizcaína (Basque-Style Cod with Red Pepper Sauce)

Salt cod in the classic Basque sauce of sweet dried peppers and slow-cooked onions.

TIME BREAKDOWN
Prep: 25h
Cook: 1h
Total: 26 hours
Vegetarian
❌
Nuts
❌
Serves
4 people
Difficulty
Medium

Ingredients

  • 600g dried salt cod fillet
  • 6 dried ñora peppers, or 3 tbsp sweet smoked paprika if unavailable
  • 5 tbsp olive oil
  • 3 onions, finely chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 1 slice white bread, crusts removed
  • 250ml fish or chicken stock (1/2 stock cube)
  • 2 tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
  • Black pepper to taste

Method

  1. Soak the salt cod in plenty of cold water in the fridge for 24 hours, changing the water 4 or 5 times. Taste a flake of the fish: if it is still very salty, soak for a further 12 hours. Drain and pat dry, remove any skin and bones and cut into pieces.

  2. Soak the dried peppers in hot water for 30 minutes, then split them, remove the seeds and scrape out the soft flesh with a spoon. If using paprika instead, skip this step.

  3. Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a low heat and cook the onions very gently for 25 minutes until completely soft and sweet but not browned. Add the garlic for the last 2 minutes.

  4. Add the pepper flesh (or paprika), bread and stock and simmer for 10 minutes. Blend to a smooth, thick sauce and pass through a sieve if you like. Do not add salt.

  5. Return the sauce to the pan, nestle in the cod and simmer gently for 10 minutes until the fish flakes easily. Season with black pepper, scatter over the parsley and serve with boiled potatoes.