TABELIAAUTHENTIC RECIPE
Bacalao al pil-pilSalt Cod in Pil Pil Sauce
Gelatin released by the skin of salt cod is emulsified with olive oil by gently moving the pan. This Basque dish uses the fish itself to create a smooth sauce, without flour or cream.
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Ingredients (4 servings)
- Dried salt cod4 thick, skin-on pieces. Desalt in the refrigerator for 48 hours.700 g
- Olive oilFor emulsifying with the fish gelatin.250 ml
- Garlic25 g
- Chilli pepper1 piece
- Water2L for each of 6 fills for desalting.12000 ml
Method
Desalt the skin-on dried cod
- 1 Rinse the surface salt from 700g cod, immerse in 2L water and refrigerate for 48 hours.
- 2 Replace with 2L fresh water after 8, 16, 24, 32 and 40 hours.
Ready when
Continue when the flesh is rehydrated and no salt crystals remain on the surface.
Dry the cod and slice the aromatics
- 1 Remove the bones and any remaining scales from the cod, keeping the skin, and dry thoroughly.
- 2 Thinly slice 25g garlic and deseed and slice 1 chilli into rings.
Ready when
Continue when no water droplets remain on the cod and the bones have been removed.
Cook the cod in the aromatic oil
- 1 Put 250ml oil, the garlic and chilli in a shallow 24cm pan and heat gently for 5 minutes.
- 2 When the garlic is pale gold, remove it along with the chilli.
- 3 Add the cod skin-side down and cook for about 10 minutes, keeping the oil at 80–90°C.
- 4 When the flesh is opaque to the centre, remove the cod and let the oil cool to about 50°C.
Ready when
Continue when the cod flakes and white, gelatinous juices are visible on the bottom of the pan.
Move the pan to emulsify the pil-pil
- 1 Leave the white juices on the bottom and transfer most of the clear oil to a separate container.
- 2 Return the cod skin-side down and, off the heat, move the pan in small circles.
- 3 Add the reserved oil a little at a time, waiting for each addition to turn cloudy before adding more.
- 4 Once the sauce has emulsified, warm over the lowest heat, return the garlic and chilli to the top and serve.
Ready when
It is ready when the pale yellow sauce coats a spoon, without clear oil separating.
Caution
Boiling the sauce breaks the emulsion.
About this dish
By the 16th century, Basque seafarers were sailing to distant Newfoundland in the North Atlantic in pursuit of cod and whales. The port of Pasaia prospered through these deep-sea fisheries and shipbuilding.
Bacalao al pil-pil is a characteristic Basque salt-cod dish, also known as a speciality of Bilbao. Its distinctive sauce combines oil with the cod’s gelatin, demonstrating a technique for turning preserved fish into a local dish.
The dish is not confined to restaurant tables. In Berango, a pil-pil cooking competition brings together groups of local friends. An ingredient linked to work at sea also creates a setting for people in the town to gather.
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