Bacalao al Pil-Pil
The Basque alchemy of salt cod, garlic, olive oil, and a single dried chili — coaxed with patient circular swirling into a pale, gelatinous emulsion that cloaks each piece of fish. The technique is the dish.
Ingredients
- salt cod loins, desalted (soaked 36-48 hours, water changed)600 g
- extra-virgin olive oil300 ml
- garlic8 cloves, thinly sliced
- dried guindilla or arbol chili1, seeded and split
- flaky sea saltto taste
Steps
Pat the desalted cod dry.
Pat the desalted cod completely dry. The skin must face down later — the gelatin lives there.
Heat olive oil with garlic and chili.
In a cold, wide earthenware cazuela or heavy skillet, combine the olive oil, sliced garlic, and chili. Set over the lowest heat and let the garlic turn pale gold without browning.
Lift garlic and chili out.
Lift the garlic and chili out with a slotted spoon and reserve. Let the infused oil cool to roughly 60°C — warm but not sizzling.
Cook cod skin-side down.
Slide the cod in skin-side down. Cook in the barely-trembling oil for 5 minutes, then flip and cook 3 more, never letting the oil bubble.
Transfer cod and pour oil.
Transfer the cod to a warm plate. Pour the oil into a measuring cup, leaving the milky white juices in the pan — that gelatin is the emulsifier.
Swirl pan to emulsify sauce.
Off heat, swirl the pan in slow circles while dribbling the warm oil back in a thin stream. The juices will whiten and thicken into a pale, mayonnaise-like pil-pil.
Spoon emulsion over cod.
Return the cod to the sauce, spoon the emulsion over each piece, and scatter the reserved garlic and chili across the top.
Nutrition, per serving. 485 calories. Protein 27.5 grams, 22 percent. Carbs 1.1 grams, 1 percent. Fat 43.2 grams, 77 percent. Fiber 0.3 grams, sugar 0.2 grams, saturated fat 6.1 grams, sodium 580 milligrams. Estimated from ingredients.
