Bacalhau Stew (Salt Cod Stew)

February 23, 2009 | Filed Under Bacalhau/Salt Cod, Seafood 

 "What’s that supposed to be?" asked my sister when she spied the above photo as I posted it.

Ummm… Well, I know that it’s not the world’s best photo but it’s supposed to be Bacalhau stew (salt cod stew).  Thankyouverymuch.   ;-)

I made this stew after talking to a lady at work who is very popular for cooking Latin dishes for offices parties.  Her food is so good that it one of the first dishes to finish when served.  I don’t remember how we got on the topic of Bacalhau but she mentioned how easy it was to prepare.  The more she spoke about it, the more intrigured and hungrier I became. 

"Just soak the bacalhau.  Then when you get home from work, fry some onions in olive oil, add tomatoes, red bell pepper, chopped cilantro, half a can of tomato sauce, and the bacalhau.  Add a little bit of water.  Cook the fish and you have your stew.  You can serve it with veggies or rice."  She didn’t give me any measurements or amounts.

Enticed, still, at the end of the day, before I headed home, I stopped at the supermarket and bought some bacalhau and soaked it.  The next day, after work, I prepared it according to my loose instructions.  Since she hadn’t given me any amounts, I guessed.  I got stuck when it was time for me to add the water.  I had no idea how much to add.  Turned out that I’d added too much (Turns out that I was supposed add a little water — about two or three tablespoons and no more.  Also turns out that I should have used half a small can of tomato sauce.). 

I’m pleased to write that the outcome wasn’t bad at all.  Served with white rice, my bacalhau stew tasted pretty good.  You can see from the photo that I garnished my stew with what else?  My favorite — cilantro.  Yes! 

Paz

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Comments

16 Responses to “Bacalhau Stew (Salt Cod Stew)”

  1. Rosa SWITZERLAND
    on February 23rd, 2009 at 1:22 am

    A delicious dish! I love salt cod…

    Not all foods are photogenic ;-P! Nonetheless, it looks very appetizing…

    Cheers,

    Rosa

  2. kat JAPAN
    on February 23rd, 2009 at 3:17 am

    looks delicious! have a good week paz!

  3. ilva ITALY
    on February 23rd, 2009 at 3:21 am

    Now you made me crave that, I am HUNGRY! it looks and sounds elicious, must buy baccalá soon!

  4. mari UNITED STATES
    on February 23rd, 2009 at 2:06 pm

    Paz, I think I have a Spanish recipe for that. I’ll try to find it and send it to you; I was going to try it for the holidays, but made something else instead. I was also really surprised at how expensive cod is!

  5. DaviMack UNITED KINGDOM
    on February 23rd, 2009 at 5:06 pm

    I’ve only ever had salt cod once, but it was a wonderful thing. I can imagine that this was just as good. :)

    (At the Ritz-Carleton, San Francisco)

  6. Lydia (The Perfect Pantry) UNITED STATES
    on February 23rd, 2009 at 10:45 pm

    I haven’t made salt cod in years — thanks for the reminder of how good it is!

  7. Cynthia BARBADOS
    on February 24th, 2009 at 8:12 pm

    We use salted cod a lot down here and make it this way but it is usually cooked dry, more like a saute. And sometimes my mom cooks hers with thinly sliced potatoes.

  8. joey PHILIPPINES
    on February 26th, 2009 at 2:39 am

    This is one of my husband’s favorite dishes! I have yet to venture an attempt :) Your’s looks great Paz…delicious!

  9. Sylvia ARGENTINA
    on February 27th, 2009 at 9:23 am

    Thanks God my sister is far :???:
    I love salt code fish. When my parents lived in Portugal I learn (Or die with hungry)to love it. By the way ,Portuguese people had 365 cod fish recipes ,one per day !!!
    Love your dish

  10. mikky PHILIPPINES
    on February 28th, 2009 at 2:53 pm

    mmm… the flavor of this dish is just amazing… :)

  11. gattina SPAIN
    on March 1st, 2009 at 8:14 am

    I just love that extra sauce… I can scoop more rice to go with it! Cilantro, I am in!

  12. sra INDIA
    on March 1st, 2009 at 1:48 pm

    Don’t think I’ve ever eaten salt cod or any variety of salt fish, but I enjoyed reading your post.

  13. Paz UNITED STATES
    on March 2nd, 2009 at 12:09 am

    Hi Rosa: Thank you!

    Hi Kat: Thank you!

    Hi Ilva: I’d love to see how you prepare yours.

    Hey there, Mari: Did you buy the fresh cod. That was probably expensive.

    Hi DaviMack: Thanks! ;-) I’m glad you had a good experience with the salt cod at the Ritz.

    Hi Lydia: I hope you get to make some in the near future.

    Hi Cynthia: I love the idea of the thinly sliced potatoes.

    Hi Joey: Try it! You’ll be pleasantly surprised.

    Hi Sylvia: 365 cod fish recipes? I love it! ;-)

    Hi Mikky: Yes, amazing flavor! ;-)

    Hi Gattina: Oh, yes!

    Hi Sra: I hope you get to try it one day.

    Thanks, everyone, for stopping by!

    Paz

  14. courtney UNITED STATES
    on March 2nd, 2009 at 3:07 pm

    Love salt cod. Its pricey here, but I heard some places where you can get it cheap. Good stuff.

  15. Bacalhau Salad (Salt Cod Salad) : The Cooking Adventures of Chef Paz UNITED STATES
    on March 8th, 2009 at 10:28 pm

    [...] long ago, I blogged about  a salt cod (Bacalhau) stew recipe that I got from a co worker.   She also gave me a salt cod salad [...]

  16. Pat UNITED STATES
    on March 27th, 2009 at 10:32 pm

    It looks good Paz! I make mine in a samll amount of toamto sauce too with green onions and olives.

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