Galician cod empanada

How to make a cod pie with raisins . In Galicia we have a wide variety of empanadas and I couldn’t stop introducing you to one of the most classic empanadas in all Galician bakeries, the cod pie with raisins .

You will ask me, with raisins? Yes, it gives it a very subtle sweet touch that pairs very well with salty cod. Although raisins are optional, some love them and others hate them. If you want to prepare the authentic and genuine cod empanada you have to add them.

You will find some recipes with fish and seafood that also include them, but where it succeeds is in Asian cuisine where they are added especially to chicken, the sultanas raisins bring a sweet touch and a juiciness to the dish that is a delight.

The great secret of a good empanada is undoubtedly in the dough, which is bread and of course the ingredients of the filling are of quality. The dough as I have always prepared following the recipe for pie dough that my mother prepares and that you can see on video in the recipe itself.

If you make a little more filling, it is perfect to prepare some dumplings, peppers, zucchini or aubergines … even freeze this filling and accompany any pasta or rice salad in summer, you have millions of options.

The empanada is an open recipe, it admits endless variations, it can be adapted to the tastes of each house. In Galicia it is an essential basic that represents from tapas with friends around a wine or as the starter in a family Sunday meal.

There are as many empanadas as there are kinds of ingredients involved in the company: octopus , scallops, raxo or lomo , sardines, conger eel, clams, scallops , eels, belly , tuna, chicken , squid, pork , mussels, … even as dessert, like this empanada of apples … as far as you bring the imagination and of course, all delicious.    

Preparation of the cod and raisin filling

1. We put the cod to soak for 30 hours to remove the salt (if you use fresh cod it is not necessary, although you will not get the same flavor). After this time we dry it and crumble it.
2. If the cod is fresh, we must place the cod with a little water in a saucepan, just to cover it and bring it to a boil. We drain it with absorbent paper and remove the skin (optional) and the thorns. We crumble them the same as with dry cod and follow the same procedure for the rest of the recipe.
3. Put two tablespoons of oil in a frying pan and when it is hot add 3 very chopped onions. We spend about 12 minutes over medium heat until golden brown and when the sofrito is very soft we add the crumbled cod.
4. We spend the cod about 5 minutes until it changes color and add the white wine and a tablespoon of dye or saffron.
5. Add the raisins and let it cook for another 15 minutes until it reduces liquid but remains with broth so that the pie is juicy. Let it cold down.
6. We rectify with salt and pepper. Most likely, it is not necessary, but try it well in case we desalinated the cod over time.
7. Let it cool down and set aside the excess oil or liquid in a glass. It is important to remove the excess oil so that the filling is juicy and at the same time to use it in the preparation of the dough, as I explain later.

Preparation of the Galician empanada dough

We already have the compango cooling, the excess liquid in the glass and now we can already prepare the dough. You must follow how to make Galician empanada dough that we have on the blog. Also to make it much easier I have added the previous video. From the prepared dough the rest is very simple.

1. We divide the empanada dough into two similar parts. We knead them again in two balls of dough to be able to work well with them.
2. We flour the kitchen counter and roll out the dough with the rolling pin. We make the base that will be the size of the baking tray which in my case is rectangular. We will stretch it as thin as possible with the help of the roller. We put on the tray a piece of baking paper and on top the base cutting the excess if needed.
3. Add the well-drained oil filling and stretch it over the entire base. It is very important that the filling is cold so that the dough holds up well.
4. We cover with the other half well stretched and seal it by the edges. We braid the bottom over the top with the help of a fork.
5. We make a small hole in the center for the empanada to breathe and with a fork we puncture through different areas, so it will not swell. We decorate with strips or cords of the excess pasta.
6. We paint the empanada with the help of a kitchen brush and a mixture of beaten egg with a little milk (it is a small trick so that it is golden but does not burn).

Baking the cod pie. Final presentation

1. We preheat the oven for 180 minutes at 180º C with heat up and down.
2. Bake the empanada with heat up and down at 190º C (with the air function if you have it). First at the bottom of the oven (about 20 minutes) and then another 25 minutes in the center.
3. When it is golden brown, we remove it. Be careful when removing it from the tray because it will still be hot and it is easy to break. Cut it when it is warm and bon appetit.

Remember that they will keep in perfect condition for 2 days if you store the pie in an airtight box.

You can see in this step by step how to prepare this recipe for cod empanada with raisins.