Camino Recipe: Bay of Biscay Cod – Bacalao a la Vizcaína
To remind your taste buds of the wonderful flavours of the Northern Way to Santiago, our friends from FoodFiesta.ie share this week an all-time favourite recipe from the Basque Country: Bay of Biscay Cod (Bacalao a la Vizcaína).
The classic ‘vizcaína’ sauce can also be used with other fish too.
What you will need:
(Serves 6 people)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic
4 red onions
50 g fresh bread chunks
8-10 “chorizo” peppers or 200g jar of “chorizo” pepper jelly
600 ml vegetable stock
2 glasses white wine
6 cod fillet pieces
1 dl olive oil
2 garlic cloves
30 spring onions
2 eggs
½ cup fine breadcrumbs
Method:
Take cod fillet pieces and dip in whisked egg, then lightly coat in fine breadcrumbs and fry in olive oil for 2 minutes until golden. Remove and set aside.
Take dried whole ‘chorizo’ peppers, place them in a pot of hot water and leave for 20 minutes. Remove from water, slice open and scoop out the jelly-like pepper ‘meat’ with a knife. Set aside. (If you can’t source whole dried ‘chorizo’ peppers, use jar of ‘chorizo pepper jelly’).
Place a saucepan with enough olive oil to lightly cover base on low heat, add sliced garlic and when beginning to turn golden, add finely chopped onions. Add salt and leave to sweat for a few moments. Take the fresh bread chunks, break them up and place them in the saucepan. Add the white wine and stock. Then add the ‘chorizo’ pepper meat and leave to simmer for 15 minutes.
Pass the sauce through a manual food mill or blender.
Dish up the cod pieces and pour over with the “Biscayan” sauce and garnish with a little lightly fried/caramelised onion on the side – or – after blending up the sauce, place it back into pan and add cod pieces. Warm through and serve. Enjoy your Bay of Biscay Cod and discover more great Camino food.
