Cod to the manchega

The cuisine of Castilla la Mancha has always been considered humble, traditional and simple. I love these kinds of recipes. Home cooking, traditional and that has passed from parents to children are the predecessors of all the knowledge that we are enjoying today with the new generations of chefs. For those of you who are just starting out in the kitchen or, simply, for those who like to cook rich and tasty, I leave you with this recipe that you are going to love, cod in La Mancha.

This recipe increases its popularity in the Castilian-La Mancha Easter . Well, as I have already commented on other occasions, cod is one of the most popular and consumed foods in times of fasting, you can find many variants of this dish. As in any traditional recipe, each house prepares it in its own way, which is usually to the taste of family members. Thus, there are those who put more pepper, less onion, etc. I have indicated the option of adding the green pepper, in this case I have not put it, but I leave it to your choice.

On the other hand, there are those who make the cod with skin and prefer to keep the whole piece to prepare the individual portions. I have always eaten it crumbly and I like that the ingredients and flavors mix in each bite, so that’s how I cook it, a yummy tradition! The final finish of the oven is also an option, I think that it is quite simple and that it will not complicate much the elaboration of the eggs. But if you like it more, you can make some fried eggs and put them on top of the clay dish, so it is delicious! For the most daring, you can prepare some poached eggs, which I love and their shape is much more elaborate and will give a very modern touch to the final plating.

How to desalt the cod. Before starting to cook

You can use salted cod, but this time, to save time, I recommend buying a piece of loin that has already been desalted.

1. If we choose the option of a salted cod fillet, we must desalinate it. To do this we must first cut it if it is very large.
2. To desalt the cod, the piece of fish must be covered in plenty of water. The thick parts will desalt for 48 hours, with water change approximately every 6 hours. The finer parts will desalinate for 36 hours, with a water change every 8 hours.
3. While the fish is desalting it should remain at a temperature between 6 and 8 º C in the refrigerator, since at room temperature it can ferment. If it happens to you, you will notice immediately, it has happened to me once, the smell is … well, it doesn’t need to be described. Inside the fridge we avoid temperature variations, which would accelerate or delay desalination, especially in summer.

Preparation of cod a la manchega

1. We wash the potatoes and cook them in a saucepan with hot water. We will let them cook until when you prick them with a knife, it enters easily. When they are ready we let them cool and then we peel them and reserve them.
2. Chop the onion into very small squares and roll the garlic. We put it to sauté in a large frying pan with a stream of virgin olive oil.
3. Peel the tomatoes and remove the seeds and liquid. We chop them up. We wash the peppers and cut into strips.
4. Add the peppers and tomatoes to the pan so that they cook with the rest of the ingredients for about five minutes over medium heat. We remove from time to time, so that it does not burn.
5. We roast the saffron threads. We put a frying pan on the stove and when it gives off heat we pass the strands for a few seconds and remove immediately so that they do not burn. We reserve.
6. Add the potatoes cut to taste, the skinless cod, the water, the paprika, the parsley and the toasted saffron threads to the sauce. We mix to integrate all the ingredients and let it cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes.
7. We preheat the oven to 190º C. Add the crumbled sliced ​​bread to the casserole, which will thicken the stew. We mix well. We will see that the cod and the potato are crumbling. We check the salt point and correct if necessary.
8. We pass everything to a mud fountain. On top we put three eggs and put everything in the oven so that the eggs are cooked and the stew is finished cooking. We will have the oven at 180 ° with heat up and down.
9. When the eggs are ready we remove it and serve it immediately. I like to break the eggs and eat it all crumbled, but the final plating is something very personal. We serve hot in the same clay dish at the center of the table or in individual pots, as you like. A dish that must be taken very warm and that cannot wait for people.

This is a simple and easy dish, ideal for these Easter vacation days, where we have a little more time to cook. The cod will be juicy, soft and delicious, combining perfectly with the softness of the vegetables and baked vegetables, a bite that takes away the sense.

This recipe I recommend that you do it just at the time of serving so that the cod does not stay dry. And all this very warm and better accompanied by a good white wine. I hope you put it into practice and that you like it.

Be sure to enjoy all the recipes for fish and seafood that we have on the blog, I assure you that you will find a lot of ideas to make yours much happier. You can see all the photos of the step by step in the next album.