Basque Salt Cod in Choricero Pepper and Onion Sauce

What you need

• 600 g (1 lb 5 oz) salt cod, thick center-cut loin pieces, skin on
• 8 dried choricero peppers, or ñora peppers; guajillo is a milder stand-in
• 500 g (1 lb 2 oz) white onions, finely chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 40 g (1 1/2 oz) stale country bread, crumbled
• 60 g (1/4 cup) plain tomato sauce, thick
• 100 ml (scant 1/2 cup) extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 3 tbsp all-purpose flour, for dusting the cod
• salt, to taste, only after tasting the sauce

Method

Restated from the original video

1. 1

   Rinse the cod, put it in a bowl, cover with cold water and refrigerate for 36-48 hours. Change the water every 8-12 hours. Taste a flake of raw cod at the end. It should be pleasantly salty, not harsh.

2. 2

   Put the peppers in a bowl, cover with hot water and soak for 1 hour.

3. 3

   Drain the peppers, put them in a small pan, cover with fresh water and bring to a boil for 1 min. Drain. Repeat twice more to draw out the bitterness.

4. 4

   Split the peppers open and scrape the pulp off the skins with a spoon. Keep the pulp and discard the skins, stems and seeds.

5. 5

   Heat 60 ml of the oil in a wide casserole over medium-low heat. Add the onions with a pinch of salt and cook, stirring, until very soft and pale golden, 25-30 min. Do not let them brown.

6. 6

   Stir in the garlic and bread and cook for 3-4 min, until the bread turns golden.

7. 7

   Add the pepper pulp and tomato sauce, pour in 250 ml of water and simmer over medium-low heat for 20 min.

8. 8

   Purée the sauce until silky and push it through a fine sieve, then return it to the casserole. If it is thicker than light cream, loosen it with a little water.

9. 9

   Drain the cod, pat it very dry and cut it into 4 portions. Dust each piece with flour and shake off the excess.

10. 10

    Heat the remaining oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat and sear the cod for 1 min per side, just to set the surface.

11. 11

    Lay the cod in the sauce, skin side up, and simmer very gently for 10-15 min, depending on thickness, until the flesh just flakes. Shake the casserole instead of stirring so the pieces stay whole.

12. 12

    Taste the sauce and add salt only if needed, as the cod gives some up. Serve hot from the casserole with bread.

Imported from directoalpaladar.com. Recipe Grab pulled out what you need to cook it; the video stays where its author put it.