Heavenly Christmas Cod
By Abigail García
I must admit that this time, it wasn’t me who cooked cod for the holidays, but I wrote down every single detail and ingredient my mom uses to prepare this traditional Christmas course, which is always at Mexican tables this season.
Be aware that even though the process is not so difficult, it is extremely long (repeat: EXTREMELY) so be patient. The result is something in between heaven and paradise — in a bite! So, after all the effort, the Christmas Cod remains as always, my favorite dish this time of the year!
Enjoy!
Preparation Time: 2 hrs.
Cooking Time: 3 hrs.
Ingredients:
- 4.5 lb of salt cod
- 3 qt of milk
- 1/2 lb peeled almonds, chopped
- 1 cup of parsley, chopped
- 6 cloves of garlic, chopped
- 1 big white onion, chopped
- 1 cup of extra virgin olive oil
- 4.5 lb of plum tomatoes, roasted and without skin
- 1.5 cup tomato puree (store bought) unseasoned
- 1.5 cup green pitted olives (you can use pepper stuffed)
- 3/4 cup capers
- 6 pickled yellow peppers and ¼ cup of the pickling brine (both optional)
- 2 lb of round fingerling potatoes, cooked al dente and without skin
Directions:
- Start 3 days before: Soak the cod into plenty of water for one day. The next day change the water and let it soak for another day. On the third day, change the water again, soak for a couple of hours and drain completely.
- Put the cod into a big pot and stir in the milk, let it set for half an hour. Then, bring to a boil for about 20 minutes. Let it cool and discard the milk.
- Meanwhile, in a big pot over medium-high heat, put half of the oil and cook the potatoes until they begin to brown evenly. Take them out and reserve. Remove from the heat.
- Once the cod is at room temperature and you can handle it, shred it and take out all the bones, tough and dark parts. Reserve.
- In the same pot you browned the potatoes, over medium-high heat, stir in the rest of the oil and sautee the onions and garlic, for about 5 minutes, until translucent.
- Meanwhile, blend the roasted tomatoes until smooth. Stir into the pot and also add the store bought tomato puree, cook everything for about 20-25 minutes, until the tomato changes its color. Add the chopped almonds and the parsley, and cook 15 minutes more.
- Then, add the shredded cod and mix well, lower the heat and cook for 20 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the olives, capers, yellow peppers and pickling brine and cook for 20 minutes, until you can see the fat coming out on the edges and everything is simmering evenly. Taste and add salt if you want.
- Everything is ready by now! Serve hot and make sure you have bread like bolillos, rolls or baguette to go with it. You can even make tortas (sandwiches), that’s the way we also like to eat it in Mexico! You can also serve with pasta, rice, salad or any other dish you like.
*Note: As this is a seafood-based dish, its very important that you keep the leftovers in the fridge and bring them to a boil (3-5minutes) every time you eat it again (it’s better than to reheat it in the microwave). This will also help bring out the flavors every time!
