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Bacalao navideño
Salt cod stew
Bacalao navideño: Mexican Christmas Eve salt cod stewed with tomato, olives, capers, potatoes and güero chiles
Mexican families inherited bacalao from Spain, but the version on the Christmas Eve table in Mexico City, Guadalajara and Puebla has gone its own way. Instead of the Basque sauce of dried choricero peppers with whole cod pieces, the cod here is soaked, finely shredded and cooked down for an hour with a lot of fresh tomato, olive oil, almonds, green olives, capers and pickled güero chiles until thick enough to pile into bolillo rolls. It tastes even better the next day, which is when the leftover tortas are eaten. Chef's tip: soak the cod in the fridge for 36–48 hours, changing the water four times a day, and taste a flake before cooking; it should be pleasantly salty, not briny.
- Total time
- 130 min
- Difficulty
- hard
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ lb dried salt cod
- ¾ cup olive oil
- 2 white onionsfinely chopped
- 6 cloves garlicfinely chopped
- 3 ⅓ lb ripe tomatoesblended to a purée
- 1 ⅛ lb small waxy potatoespeeled and halved
- 2 ⅛ oz blanched almondsslivered
- 5 ½ oz pimento-stuffed green olives
- 2 tbsp capersrinsed
- 8 pickled güero chilliesplus 3 tbsp of their brine
- 1 bunch flat-leaf parsleychopped
- ½ tsp black pepper
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Soak the 1 ¾ lb dried salt cod in a large bowl of cold water in the fridge for 36–48 hours, changing the water 4 times a day.
10 minStep 2: Drain, put in a pan of fresh water and bring just to a simmer for 5 minutes. Drain, cool, then remove skin and bones and shred the flesh very finely with your fingers.
20 minStep 3: Boil the 1 ⅛ lb small waxy potatoes in water for 12 minutes until just tender, then drain.
12 minStep 4: Heat the ¾ cup olive oil in a wide heavy pot over a medium heat and fry the 2 white onions for 8 minutes until soft and translucent. Add the 6 cloves garlic and 2 ⅛ oz blanched almonds and fry 2 minutes until the almonds are golden.
10 minStep 5: Pour in the 3 ⅓ lb ripe tomatoes with the 2 bay leaves and ½ tsp black pepper and simmer 20 minutes, stirring now and then, until the sauce darkens and the oil starts to separate.
20 minStep 6: Stir in the shredded cod and simmer gently for 30 minutes, stirring often so it does not catch. A common mistake is adding salt now: taste only at the end, as the cod carries plenty.
30 minStep 7: Add the potatoes, 5 ½ oz pimento-stuffed green olives, 2 tbsp capers, 8 pickled güero chillies and brine and half the 0.5 bunch flat-leaf parsley. Simmer 10 minutes until thick and spoonable. Scatter over the rest of the 0.5 bunch flat-leaf parsley. Serve warm with bolillos, or chill overnight and reheat; it keeps 4 days in the fridge.
12 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 430 kcal
- Protein
- 38 g
- Carbs
- 22 g
- Fat
- 21 g
- Fibre
- 5 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does bacalao navideño take?
- About 130 minutes in total: 40 minutes to prepare and 90 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 8 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of white onions?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
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