Basque Cod al Pil Pil

Cod al pil pil (sounds like Al peel-peel) sounds exotic, and while it is from Basque Country, the only thing mystical about this recipe is how the sauce comes together in the pan.

Normally done with reconstituted salt cod, or bacalao, this dish is one of those simple masterpieces: Fish, olive oil, lots of garlic, a few chiles, maybe some parsley or dried oregano.

Why serve fish this way? It’s rich, garlicky and slightly spicy from the chile, although some people leave the chile out. And it comes together very quickly. You can use any white fish to do this. I used cod throats or collars because I happen to like them.

If you are using salt cod, you need to freshen it up for 24 to 48 hours before you make this recipe. You do that by soaking the block of salted fish in cold water, changing the water every eight hours or thereabouts. It’s just as good with fresh fish, though.

Serve this with potatoes or rice or crusty bread. You want something to sop up that sauce with.

A word on the sauce: It is an emulsion of olive oil, garlic and the juices from the fish, that, when taken all the way, actually makes a bright yellow mayonnaise looking thing. We took our pictures before I stirred the pot a bit more to get that consistency, which is traditional in Spain. I personally like it a bit thinner, as you see in the photo.

Here’s a short video of the process you need to do to emulsify the pil pil.

Ready to give pil pil a go? Here’s how:

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Basque Cod al Pil Pil

Prep Time

10 mins

Cook Time

15 mins

Total Time

25 mins

 

You can make this with any white fish. Obviously cod, haddock, pollock and hake, but also bass, walleye, black seabass, Pacific rockfish, lingcod, etc. I bet it would work with catfish, too. Serve with potatoes, bread or rice and a full-bodied white wine or dry cider. 

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Spanish

Serves: 4 people

Author: Hank Shaw

Ingredients

• 2 pounds cod or other white fish, skin on if possible
• Salt
• 1 cup olive oil
• 6 to 8 cloves garlic, sliced thin
• 1 to 3 small hot, dried chiles, crushed (optional)
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano or parsley, or 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

Instructions

1. Salt the fish well and set aside for 10 to 20 minutes. Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large, wide pan that can hold all the pieces of fish. 

2. Saute the garlic slices for a minute or two, until they just start turning golden. Remove them as best you can. It's OK if a few escape you. 

3. Put the fish skin side down in the pan and cook gently over medium-low heat for a minute or two. Turn the fish and cook for another 2 to 4 minutes, or until the fish is mostly cooked. Turn the heat off and remove the fish for now. 

4. Start swirling the pan. You want to gently agitate the olive oil and juices from the fish into an emulsion. This should take about 5 minutes and no more than 10 minutes. One way to help this along is to whisk it with a strainer, as you can see in the video. As the emulsion comes together, add back the garlic as well as the crushed chiles, if using. It will eventually look like a salad dressing, and if you keep stirring it while the whole thing cools, it will set up into a mayonnaise-like sauce. It's up to you if you want it this way. 

5. When you are ready, pour the sauce over the fish, sprinkle some dried herbs on there and serve. 

NOTE: While not strictly necessary, the skin of fish contains a lot of collagen, which helps the sauce emulsify more easily than skinless fish. 

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