Bacalao a la Vizcaina

Introduction:

Don't you dare tell my mother you saw this here. I would be in BIG trouble so keep it quiet. This is a delicious recipe for Bacalao, also known as Cod fish. The Bacalao is bought in the form of salt-dried fillets and therefore must be soaked in water for a couple of days before cooking. Mexicans eat this dish on special occasions such as X-mas and New Years' Eve.

This recipe serves 4.

Ingredients:

• 4 lbs. salt-dried Bacalao (Norwegian cod fish)
• 6 large cans of peeled, cut tomatoes, look for S&W "Ready-Cut"
• 1/2 chopped white onion
• 8 cloves of garlic
• 3 Bay leaves (laurel)
• 1 cup virgin olive oil
• 1 small jar (4 oz) green capers (alcaparras)
• 1 large jar of green olives
• 1 jar of sliced red peppers or 1 sliced red pepper
• 1 jar of large chiles in vinegar
• 12 small potatoes

Pre-cooking (2 days earlier):

• Soak the Bacalao in water and refrigerate, changing the water every day for two days until the Bacalao is not so salty

Pre-cooking (same day):

• Use a garlic press to press 4 garlic cloves or simply smash them the best you can

Cooking:

• Boil the potatoes in a separate pan
• Set a large cooking pan in mid-high heat
• Add the olive oil and fry 4 whole garlic cloves until brown, then discard the garlic
• Add the cans of cut tomatoes, onion and the pressed garlic to the oil and mix well
• Once the sauce has boiled for a while, add the Bacalao while braking it apart with your hands
• Add the slices of red pepper, green olives, capers, and bay leaves to the pan
• Add 3-4 dashes of vinegar from the chili can for flavor, a lot more if you like it hot
• Boil for a maximum of 20 minutes, testing the fish to make sure it does not get hard by over cooking it
• Add the potatoes and serve with the large chilis and French bread on the side

Tips:

The best Bacalao is imported from Norway and it is less salty and softer than the others.

When you add the tomatoes to the frying oil be careful. It may jump towards you and burn you.

The easiest and fastest way to peel garlic is to wrap it in rubber, and roll it back and forth a few times. We use a rubber husband, it takes us 2 seconds to peel a garlic clove.

This page visited times since June 26, 1997.

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