Spanish cuisine · Fish & Seafood

Bacalao al Ajoarriero

Flaked salt cod from Navarre, braised into a thick stew with plenty of garlic, choricero pepper and tomato.

Ingredients · for 4 servings

• 600 g desalted salt cod
• 2 dried choricero peppers (or 2 tbsp pepper paste)
• 8 cloves garlic
• 2 onions
• 1 green bell pepper
• 500 g passata
• 1 dried chili pepper
• 100 ml olive oil
• 1/2 bunch flat-leaf parsley
• Salt, pepper

Instructions

1. Soak the choricero peppers in hot water for 30 min., then scrape the flesh off the skin with a spoon and set aside.
2. Pat the desalted salt cod dry, remove skin and bones and pull the flesh into coarse flakes with your fingers.
3. Warm the olive oil in a wide pan and let the sliced garlic and the crumbled chili pepper turn golden over gentle heat for 3–4 min.
4. Add the finely diced onions and bell pepper and braise over low heat for 12–15 min. until everything collapses and smells sweet.
5. Stir in the choricero paste and the passata and reduce uncovered for 10 min. until the oil separates at the edge; then fold in the cod and let it just heat through for 5 min. without boiling.
6. Season with pepper and a little salt, sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve with toasted bread.