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Morue en raïto
Salt cod in tomato sauce
Morue en raïto: Provençal salt cod in tomato, olive and caper sauce for Christmas Eve
FrenchIn Provence the gros souper on Christmas Eve is a lean but festive meal eaten before midnight Mass, with seven meatless dishes for the seven sorrows of Mary, and salt cod en raïto is often the centrepiece. Pieces of soaked cod are fried, then simmered in raïto, a dark sauce of tomato, onion, garlic, black olives and capers that is traditionally cooked with red wine. Here the wine is optional: use vegetable stock with a spoon of red wine vinegar for an alcohol-free sauce. Serve with boiled potatoes or crusty bread. Chef's tip: soak the salt cod in the fridge for 36 hours, changing the water often, and taste a flake before cooking; it should be pleasantly seasoned, not salty.
- Total time
- 90 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the cod
- 2 ¼ lb thick salt codsoaked (see step 1)
- 4 tbsp plain flourfor dusting
- 6 tbsp olive oildivided
For the raïto
- 2 onionsfinely chopped
- 4 cloves garlicchopped
- 1 ¾ lb chopped tomatoes2 tins
- 1 tbsp tomato purée
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme
- 3 ½ oz black olives
- 2 tbsp capersrinsed
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 handful flat-leaf parsleychopped
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Put 2 ¼ lb thick salt cod skin-side up in a large bowl of cold water in the fridge for 36–48 hours, changing the water 4–6 times. Drain, take off the skin and bones and cut into 6 cm pieces. Pat dry.
Step 3: Stir in 1 tbsp tomato purée, then pour in 1 cup red wine or vegetable stock with 1 tbsp red wine vinegar and let it bubble for 3 minutes. Add 1 ¾ lb chopped tomatoes, 2 bay leaves and 3 sprigs fresh thyme and simmer gently, uncovered, for 30 minutes, until thick and dark.
33 minStep 4: Meanwhile dust the cod pieces in 4 tbsp plain flour, shaking off the excess, and fry them in the rest of 3 ⅝ tbsp olive oil over a medium heat for 2 minutes a side, until lightly golden. They will finish cooking in the sauce.
8 minStep 5: Stir 3 ½ oz black olives, 2 tbsp capers and ½ tsp black pepper into the sauce, then lay the cod in it. Cover and simmer very gently for 8–10 minutes, until the fish is opaque all the way through and flakes when pressed. A common mistake is boiling it hard, which makes salt cod stringy.
10 minStep 6: Taste before adding any salt. Scatter with 1 handful flat-leaf parsley and serve.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 330 kcal
- Protein
- 36 g
- Carbs
- 14 g
- Fat
- 13 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does morue en raïto take?
- About 90 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 60 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
- What can I use instead of onions?
- 2 shallots per onion.
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