Bacalao al ajoarriero | Cod with peppers and tomato sauce
This dish is from the Navarra region of Spain, where some of the best – if not the best – vegetables in Spain are grown and they are the masters of preserving vegetables. Particularly famous are their Piquillo peppers and white asparagus although the list is endless. A great cod dish made with a rich tomatoey sauce.
INGREDIENTS
250g fresh broad Beans pods
150 ml Olive oil
10 cloves Garlic, thinly sliced
1 Spanish Onion, thinly sliced
1 tin or jar of piquillo Peppers, approximately 15 peppers or 390 g
1 teaspoon sweet Paprika
Salt and pepper
4 tomatoes, puréed in a blender
1 kg Cod loin
A few sprigs of Parsley
Preparation
Prepare all the ingredients and remove the skin of the cod by either pulling it or running the blade of your knife parallel to the chopping board trapping the skin of the cod in between the two. Place the skin in a small saucepan with a glass of water and bring nearly to boiling point. Pass through chinoise and set this quick fish stock aside.
Heat the olive oil in a large pan over a medium heat and add the sliced garlic. Fry for a minute before adding the sliced onion and continue to cook for 10 minutes.
Drain the peppers of their juices and slice them thickly, making sure there are no seeds attached. Add to the pan and cook for a further 5 minutes and then add the paprika, salt, sugar and puréed tomatoes. Simmer until the sauce has reduced by half.
Rinse the cod in cold water, pat dry with kitchen paper and then cut into 2-cm pieces. Season with a little salt and then add to the sauce in the pan. Cook for about 5 minutes, until the cod is just cooked, and then serve.