Basque Salt Cod in Garlic Oil Emulsion

What you need

• 4 pieces (about 1 3/4 lb in total) thick salt cod loins, skin on, about 200 g each
• 250 ml (1 cup) extra-virgin olive oil
• 6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 1 dried guindilla chilli, or another mild dried red chilli
• salt, to taste, only if needed

Method

Restated from the original video

1. 1

   Put the salt cod skin side up in a large bowl of cold water and refrigerate for 48 h, changing the water 3 times a day. A flake from the middle should taste mildly seasoned, not harsh.

2. 2

   Drain the cod and pat it completely dry with paper towels. Pull out any bones you can feel.

3. 3

   Cut the chilli into rings and shake out the seeds.

4. 4

   Pour the oil into a wide clay dish or heavy shallow pan, add the garlic and set it over medium-low heat.

5. 5

   Cook until the garlic is pale gold, 3-4 min. Add the chilli for the last 30 seconds.

6. 6

   Lift the garlic and chilli out with a slotted spoon and set them on a paper towel.

7. 7

   Take the pan off the heat and let the oil cool for 5 min to about 65 °C (150 °F).

8. 8

   Lay the cod in the oil skin side up and return the pan to the lowest heat. Poach without letting the oil bubble, 4-5 min.

9. 9

   Turn the pieces skin side down and cook until the flesh just starts to separate into flakes, 4-5 min more.

10. 10

    Take the pan off the heat and lift the cod onto a plate. Leave the oil to cool to about 50 °C (120 °F), roughly 10 min.

11. 11

    Pour most of the oil into a jug, keeping the cloudy juices and a thin layer of oil in the pan.

12. 12

    Return the cod to the pan skin side up. Swirl the pan in slow, steady circles while adding the reserved oil back in a thin trickle.

13. 13

    Keep swirling until the juices and oil turn into a pale, thick sauce, 10-15 min. If it refuses to thicken, work it with a metal sieve moved in circles through the oil.

14. 14

    Taste the sauce and add salt only if it needs it.

15. 15

    Warm the dish over the lowest heat for 1 min without boiling, then scatter the garlic and chilli on top and serve.

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