Esqueixada de Bacallà
Shredded salt cod salad / cod esqueixada • A Catalan classic with some twists.
Adapted from Restaurant Villa Mas (Sant Feliu de Guíxols, Girona)
- Prep
- 10 minutes
- Cook
- 50 minutes
- Total
- 1 hour
Equipment
- mortar and pestle
Ingredients
-
2 strips
Desalted cod
, ~15x3x2 cm (see picture)
Common cod (Gadus morhua) already desalted and ready to eat or partially desalted to finish desalting at home to your own taste.
Where to find it: Ideally at a salt cod shop (bacallaneria in Catalan) in almost any municipal market.
Available at: Mercat de Sarrià (Barcelona) - Extra virgin olive oil , good quality, ideally sweet & soft, like arbequina or empeltre
-
2 fillets
Salted anchovy
(optional) , choose good quality ones
There are those for cooking, which are saltier and more intense in flavor, and those for eating directly, which prioritize firm, good-looking fillets with a balanced flavor. Within this latter category, quality varies widely. As a general rule, the finest examples come from the Cantabrian Sea (Engraulis encrasicolus) and, ideally, specifically from Santoña. Of course, there are always exceptions, but that is precisely why rules exist...
-
8
Black olives
, empeltre, arbequinas, Kalamata...Available at: Mercat de Sarrià (Barcelona)
- 1 tbsp Santa Pau white beans (optional) ↳ mongetes
- 1 tsp Jerez vinegar , to dress the white beans ↳ mild white wine vinegar
- Parsley , some leaves for decoration ↳ any fresh herb of your choice
TO CONFIT IN THE OVEN
- 6 Cherry tomatoes , ideally plum cherry variety
- 3 Shallot ↳ any small onion
- 1 tbsp Extra virgin olive oil
- 2 pinches Thyme
Method
-
Advance Preparation
-
1
The night before, place the whole tomatoes and halved shallots on a baking sheet; drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with thyme. Roast for about 50–60 minutes at 120°C. Keep an eye on them to ensure they don't overcook; feel free to remove either ingredient early if they aren't cooking evenly. Store in the refrigerator. Once cool, the tomatoes can be peeled.
-
2
Soak the white beans in water for 12 hours.
-
3
Taste the salt cod; if it needs further desalting, leave it in very cold water in the refrigerator for 8 to 12 hours, then taste again to decide if the process needs repeating. Better yet: ask your cod specialist (bacaladero/a) for specific instructions when buying the fish!
-
Cooking the Beans
-
4
After soaking, drain the beans, cover them with fresh water in a pot, and cook over very low heat for 40 to 60 minutes until tender. Remove from the heat and add salt. Let them rest for 15 minutes. Drain, set aside the portion you plan to use, dress it with vinegar, and let it rest in the refrigerator.
-
Prepare the Red Pesto
-
5
Crush the ingredients in a mortar until a paste forms. You can start with just the tomatoes and EV olive oil; once they form a paste, add the nuts and continue crushing to your desired consistency—you can leave some nut pieces for a more varied texture.
-
Assembling the Dish
-
1
Drain the salt cod and pat it dry thoroughly with paper towels; flake it by hand (esqueixar, hence the dish's name) into small, bite-sized pieces. Add the peeled tomatoes and shallots, including a little of the flavorful oil from the roasting process. Add and distribute the beans, pitted olives, and finally the anchovies and fresh herbs. Finish with a few dollops of red pesto and drizzle with some of that high-quality extra virgin olive oil you save for special occasions (this is one); store in the fridge and take it out 10 minutes before serving. Enjoy!