Bacalao Salado Salt Cod Salad Recipes

SALT COD SALAD

Steps:

• Rinse the fish under cold running tap water and remove any skin or fish bones that are visible if necessary.
• Steam the salt cod for 6 to 8 minutes. I used my KitchenAid Cook Processor for that. If you don't have a steamer, you can use a pasta pan. Place the fish in the pasta basket, add some water to the pan, put a lid on it and then place the pan over medium-high heat for about 10 minutes.
• The salt cod should be flakey and cooked through in the end. Remove it from the steamer (or pasta basket) and then tear it into bite-size bits. Transfer the to a large mixing bowl.
• Chop the tomato into 4 bits and deseed it under cold running tap water. Let the tomato drain a bit on a clean kitchen towel and then chop it up finely. Then add the diced tomato to the salt cod in the bowl.
• Stir the fish and tomatoes carefully. Chop the fresh herbs finely and add them as well. Season the salad with a pinch of pepper and salt as well.
• Add the caper berries (or capers) and the lemon juice.
• Drizzle the salad with a good glug of the olive oil.
• Stir the salad gently. Then check the seasoning and add extra pepper, salt or lemon juice to taste if necessary. Place the cod salad in the fridge for another 30 minutes. Serve cold.

BACALAO SALAD

Steps:

• Put cod in a medium bowl. Cover with cold water. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate at least 8 hours, or up to 2 days. Drain water from bowl. Cover cod with fresh water. Refrigerate, covered, at least 8 hours or up to 2 days. Drain. Rinse cod, and pat dry.
• Heat oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add cod, onion, bell pepper, and garlic. Cook, stirring constantly, until onion and pepper have softened and cod begins to break up, about 6 minutes.
• Stir in tomatoes. Reduce heat to medium. Simmer 10 minutes. Let cool completely. Stir in the vinegar and pepper. Refrigerate cod mixture at least 3 hours (or overnight). Season with salt, or drizzle with vinegar, if desired.
• Arrange lettuce on a large platter. Spread cod mixture on top.

BACALAO CON PAPAS (SALT COD WITH POTATOES)

Steps:

• Rinse 1/2 pound salt cod under cold water to remove the outer layer of salt. Tear it into large strips (about 1- to 2-inches wide), place in a large bowl and cover with cold water. Let soak for 1 hour, drain the water and tear the cod into large bite-size pieces. Cover again with cold water and let soak for 30 minutes. Drain, cover again with cold water and soak for the final 30 minutes. Drain and squeeze out all the excess water from the cod with your hands; the cod should be very dry before using.
• Heat the oil and butter to a medium pot or Dutch oven over medium heat until the butter melts. Add the bay leaf and oregano and cook until fragrant, 1 minute. Add the onion, garlic, black pepper and half of the parsley. Stir to evenly combine and cook, stirring often, until the onions are translucent but not brown, about 3 minutes. Add the tomato paste and stir to coat all the ingredients. Continue to stir until the tomato paste begins to caramelize and turn a dark red, almost brown color, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the wine and cook, scraping the caramelized bits from the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon. Next, add the salt cod, stirring to coat the cod completely in the sauce and cook until the cod absorbs most of the sauce, 1 to 2 minutes. Finally, add the potatoes, piquillo peppers, olives and tomato sauce. Stir together, cover and reduce the heat to medium low. Simmer the sauce until the potatoes are fork tender but still hold their shape, about 20 minutes.
• To serve, stir in the lemon juice and taste for salt -- typically all the salt needed in this recipe comes from the salt cod. Plate with cooked white rice or grilled bread and garnish with the remaining chopped parsley.