Basque Salt Cod in Garlic Oil — Bacalao al Pil Pil
Basque salt cod fillet poached gently in olive oil with garlic and dried chilli, then emulsified by swirling the pan into a glossy yellow gel from the cod gelatin, served with bread.
Spanish
Categories
Nutrition per Serving
Ingredients
For 2 servings
Instructions
Prep
Drain desalted cod, pat dry, slice into 4 portions. Slice 16 garlic cloves thin, snap 2 dried guindilla chillies in half, chop 10g parsley, and toast 2 thick slices country bread.
Bloom
Heat 240ml olive oil in a wide heavy skillet over medium-low heat 1 minute. Add sliced garlic and snapped chillies, cook 4 minutes until pale gold and aromatic. Lift garlic and chillies to a bowl with a slotted spoon.
Poach
Lower heat to low, rest oil 90 seconds until cool. Slide cod in skin-side up, season with 0.5 tsp salt and pepper. Poach barely below a simmer 8–9 minutes until just flaking.
Build
Lift cod to a warm plate. Tilt skillet and swirl warm oil in slow circles 3–4 minutes off heat as cod gelatin emulsifies into a pale yellow glossy gel that clings to a spoon.
Finish and plate
Slide cod back into emulsified pil pil sauce. Scatter reserved garlic and chillies over the top, scatter parsley, and serve with toasted bread alongside for mopping the sauce.
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