Spanish cod with pil-pil sauce | Authentic Basque dish

Name: Spanish cod with pil-pil sauce | Authentic Basque dish
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Spanyol konyha
Ingredients: 600 g Cod fillet; 1 Sourdough bread; 200 ml Extra virgin olive oil; 6 cloves Fresh garlic; 1 Red chili pepper; 1 tsp Fine salt; 1 handful Fresh parsley

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35 min

Under an hour

Kifli Kukták

A baszk konyha világhírű mesterfogása: omlós tőkehalfilé kíméletesen konfitálva fokhagymás, chilis extra szűz olívaolajban. A hal saját zselatinjából és a minőségi olajból selymes, krémes pil-pil mártás képződik, melyet ropogós fokhagymával és friss kovászos kenyérrel tálalunk.

Preparation method

Preparation and making aromatic oil

Pat the cod fillets completely dry with kitchen paper towels, then sprinkle fine salt on both sides. Thinly slice the garlic cloves and slice the red chili pepper into thin rings.

Heat the extra virgin olive oil in a deep skillet or cast-iron pot over medium heat. Add the sliced garlic and chili, then fry over low-medium heat for 2-3 minutes until golden brown. Be careful not to let them burn! Remove the toasted garlic and chili with a slotted spoon into a small bowl and set aside for serving.

Confit of the fish and making the pil-pil emulsion

Reduce the temperature of the oil to low (approx. 60–70 °C, the oil should not bubble, just gently shimmer). Gently place the salted cod fillets skin-side down into the warm olive oil. Confit over low heat for 8–10 minutes, during which white gelatinous protein droplets will release from the fish into the oil. Gently turn once and cook for another 3-4 minutes until cooked through, then remove to a plate.

Chef's tip

The secret to a pil-pil emulsion is the temperature of the oil: if the oil is too hot, the sauce will split; if it is too cold, it will be hard to combine. Let the oil cool to 50–60 °C after confiting, then swirl or stir with a fine mesh strainer to make it creamy in no time.

When prepared in a traditional Basque earthenware dish (cazuela de barro), heat retention is even, so the fish remains melt-in-your-mouth tender, and the emulsion forms perfectly.