Christmas Salted Cod
Bacalao Navideño
Recipe Yield
6 servings
Cooking time
2 days 45 minutes
Rate this recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound dried salted cod
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1 white onion peeled, halved, thinly sliced
- 4 cloves garlic finely chopped or pressed
- 1 1/2 pounds ripe tomatoes chopped, or a 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 2 red bell peppers roasted, sweated, peeled and diced
- 1 pound baby potatoes peeled, halved if larger than 1-inch
- 2 teaspoons white distilled vinegar
- 1/4 cup fresh Italian parsley chopped
- 1/3 cup slivered almonds
- 1/4 cup manzanilla olives stuffed with pimientos thinly sliced
- 8 to 10 pickled pepperoncini peppers or chiles güeros plus more for serving
- French baguette to slice and toast
To Prepare
- 48 hours before you wish to make the dish, begin preparing your salt cod for cooking. Place in a bowl, cover with water and place in the refrigerator. The next day drain, rinse and cover with water again. Place it back in the refrigerator for 10 to 12 hours. Drain, rinse and cover with water again. Refrigerate for another 10 to 12 hours, drain and rinse. Shred the fish and it is ready to use.
- Heat the olive oil in a large casserole over medium heat. Once hot, add the onion and cook for 5 minutes, stirring often, until softened and beginning to brown around the edges. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about a minute. Stir in the tomatoes and roasted red bell peppers, cover partially and cook, stirring from time to time, for 10 minutes, or until the mixture has thickened and darkened in color. It should look somewhat chunky.
- Meanwhile, in a separate, medium saucepan, boil the potatoes in salted water for about 10 minutes, until just tender; when you insert the tip of a knife it should go all the way in, but the potatoes should not fall apart. Drain and set aside.
- Stir the shredded cod into the tomato mixture. Add the vinegar, parsley, almonds and olives, stir together and continue to cook, partially covered for another 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally and scraping the bottom of the pan, until the ingredients are well amalgamated and the sauce has thickened even more.
- Reduce heat to low, stir in the cooked potatoes and the pickled pepperoncini peppers, cover the casserole and simmer for 5 more minutes. The mixture should be very moist and juicy, but not soupy. No need to add salt. Serve with additional pickled pepperoncini, and if you’d like, white rice on the side.
Comments
32comments inBacalao Navideño
Peter Verrechio
Aug 27
This is a Christmas Eve staple for my family. It’s one of the Seven Fishes, we Italians enjoy on the Eve. We like it so much we make it several times throughout the year. I order my Bacalao from Teitel Brothers in New York.
Pati Jinich
Sep 28
Yay, gracias Peter!
Elena Anaya
Dec 21
Así es como lo comemos en La Hermosa Ciudad De México solo que creo que se le ponen alcaparras
Pati Jinich
Jan 13
Que bueno que te gusto la receta Elena!
Anonymous
Dec 20
My grandmother used to make it every Christmas. Now my mom and my sister make it all the time. Roasted tomatoes, cinnamon, red bell peppers, olives, chinese parsley,pepper, chile mulato and white onions. And of course take off the salt from the cod fish. But now is harder to find it in the wooden box. We only get it from Canada. And we also eat it as Tortas in bolillo.
Pati Jinich
Jan 14
Good memories and delicious food, right?
Olga Carrillo
Sep 02
You inspire me to cook something different am puertorican living in NYC all my life and all I know is PR MEALS,
and American food and a few Italian dishes. I live in hells kitchen so there is a lot of restaurants of different races.
My email is olgac0875@gmail.com and my name is Olga Carrillo
Pati Jinich
Sep 04
So happy to hear you like my recipes Olga, gracias!
Carmen
Dec 22
This is one of our favourite dishes to enjoy on Christmas Eve along with an Italian Bacalao recipe that my Mom used to prepare for the same day. I love to mix the two cultures especially on special occasions to please both sides.
Thank you for your enthusiasm and love of preparing flavourful food but especially for teaching and showing everyone the richness of the Mexican culture and cuisine.
Always looking forward to your new adventures.
Feliz Navidad y Próspero Año Nuevo
Pati Jinich
Dec 26
Happy Holidays to you as well Carmen, so glad you like my Bacalao 🙂
Anonymous
Dec 25
Patti thank you so much for the recipes
Mami me enseñó cómo hacerlo tenía un poco de miedo con el bacalao y lo hice con atún quedo delicioso Gracias!!
Feliz 🎄
Pati Jinich
Jan 06
Super, que buena idea! Ahora el siguiente paso es el bacalao, you got this!
Mireya
Dec 25
Pati thanks for sharing this recipe. This is my favor dish. It brings memories when I was a child.
Pati Jinich
Jan 06
So glad you liked it Mireya, un abrazo!
Conny Kütter
Dec 25
Yo lo preparo casi igual, pero sin el vinagre y uso chiles (pimiento morron de lata/frasco.
Delicioso!
Pati Jinich
Jan 06
Que rico Connie, gracias por compartir!
Anne Sanders
Apr 03
Pati, This was my first bacalao, and it was absolutely delicious! No surprise, of course. Although I followed the directions about prepping the fish to the letter, I could not flake the fish at the end of the rinsing process. I ended up cutting the fish into chunks, but even that was difficult. Any idea as to what I did wrong?
Pati
Apr 04
There are so many different kinds of salted bacalao, maybe the one that you got needed a bit more soaking. Happy to hear it was tasty!
Gay Lastiri
Jun 30
Right after I was first married to my son’s father his mother came from Mexico and she made a cod fish dish more kind of casserole I’ve never been able to find the recipe anything similar to that you my dear lady have done it now I will play around with this recipe so I can get the one she made but man doesn’t look so good thank you I love your show you are just adorable thank you thank you so much
Pati
Jul 03
Thank you so much Gay! I hope you make the recipe your own and are able to replicate your mother-in-law’s recipe.
DAMON A Runyon
Jan 18
HOLA PATI,
CAN WE USE FRESH COD FISH FILET AND IF SO, WHAT CHANGES ARE THERE IN THE PREPARATION ?
THANK YOU !
DAMON
Pati
Jan 23
Hi Damon, This recipe traditionally uses the salted cod… it has such a smoky, salty and rustic taste. You could use the fresh cod, but then what I recommend is that you prepare the sauce along with the cooked potatoes, and just spoon it over baked, broiled or seared fresh cod.
DAMON A Runyon
Jan 24
THANK YOU PATI. THAT SOUNDS GREAT. I’LL LET YOU KNOW HOW IT TURNS OUT.
Lawrence Kevin
Jan 11
My wife has had a difficult time finding the dried salted cod in the US. Do you have any suggestions? It is one of her families favorites for Christmas meals.
Anonymous
Jul 16
Hi Kevin – I had the same issue and finally found it on Amazon and it was shipped from NY!
Also, if you have an Italian market close by, they will have it as they use it for some dishes as well.
Lawrence Kevin
Jan 11
My wife has had a difficult time finding the dried salted cod in the US. Do you have any suggestions? It is one of her families favorites for Christmas meals.
Pati
Jan 13
Oh, you know where I have found it? Either in seafood/fish specialty shops -tell your wife to ask the fishmonger to source it for her- or Italian grocery stores.
Lawrence Kevin
Jan 08
Where to find the salted cod fish in San Francisco Bay Area?
Pati
Jan 13
You should ask your fishmonger, or a seafood specialty store. Also, some Italian stores tend to have it too!
Charles Bloomer
Feb 04
In the Bay Area, try any 99 Ranch Market. Or, try Googling portuguese grocery. Bacalao’s the national dish there!
Lawrence Kevin
Jan 08
Where to find the salted cod fish in San Francisco Bay Area?
Marianne Pacheco
Jan 12
Try any portuguese store or even brazilian store. Goya makes bacalhau tambien, I found it in the refrigerated section of H Mart or any large asian/international supermarket. Portuguese don’t refrigerate it – so don’t be scared if it’s in a wooden box on a shelf!