Rice with cod

How to make a rice with cod .

This   dish is one of the flagship rice recipes of our gastronomy.  

There are many theories about its origin but it seems that the one that takes more strength is the one that says that it is a traditional Cuban dish.

Since there are documented recipes from the last century and today it is a dish present in all the restaurants on the island.

Cod is believed to have been brought there by the Basques. In Spain, the tradition of cooking cod at Easter is preserved . It is the fish that has the most culinary tradition in Lent , both fresh and salty and dried. As the popular saying goes ” of the cod, even the rasp “.

Over the past few centuries, the popularity of cod has expanded rapidly from Europe to many places in Latin America.

You will find this ingredient in omelette , pil pil, as fritters , in salads , meatballs , boiled, Portuguese-style , fried, the famous golden cod , grilled, stewed , salted, and of course, in company with everything type of sauces.

In the recipe that I am presenting you, there are two slightly peculiar ingredients that are used to give color, flavor and aroma to the dish:  the chorizo ​​pepper and the lady . Both are marketed packaged and dehydrated.

The choricero pepper is typical of the Basque Country, it is sweet and somewhat acidic. Only the pulp is used from it, it is used in its most typical and well-known recipe; Biscay cod .

This is a rice dish that needs time, it must be done over low heat so that the recipe works in harmony. We have cooked it with a round SOS rice that never fails us.

The result is spectacular because the mixture of flavors is really delicious. 

Before cooking the cod. Hydrate the choricero pepper

1. I advise you to read how to desalt cod before starting the recipe . Still here is a little summary.
2. In this case we have chosen salted cod crumbs, so they must be desalted previously.
3. For this, it is best to read the recommendations on the packaging since the time is variable.
4. You have to put them in water so that the crumbs are well covered.
5. Previously we clean the bulk of the salt under the tap, we have desalinated them for 24 hours, changing the water every 8 hours.
6. We have kept the fish in the refrigerator at a temperature between 6 and 8º C, to prevent it from fermenting at room temperature.
7. In addition, inside the refrigerator we avoid temperature fluctuations that could accelerate or delay desalination.
8. Another of the previous steps is the hydration of the chorizo ​​pepper. In order to remove the pulp we put it in a container with water for an hour before cooking it.
9. As for the tomatoes, you have to remove the skin and chop them.
10. For that we blanch them in water and cut them into very small pieces. So when cooking they are totally waste.

Preparation of rice with cod

1. The first thing we do is sauté the cod in a little olive oil and once golden (5-10 minutes) reserve.
2. Meanwhile we peel and cut the potatoes. We also cut the red and green peppers into strips.
3. Next we fry in the same oil of the cod the potatoes cut in small pieces along with the peppers. Let it cook for 10 minutes over low heat.
4. When the choricero pepper has been in the water for at least an hour, we open it, discard the seeds and, with the help of a spoon, remove the pulp, scraping the skin. When softened it will come out perfectly.
5. Once the potatoes and peppers are browned, add the pulp extracted from the chorizo ​​pepper.
6. Mix and add the paprika (1/4 teaspoon hot and ¾ sweet). We remove and add the chopped tomato to refresh the stew.
7. We allow everything to simmer over low heat, it is important that we do not rush. The secret to a good stew is to wait for the sauce to bind before adding the rest.
8. At that time we add the cod, white wine, ñoras cut into quarters, bay leaves and a mash of garlic and parsley. We let it reduce about 10 minutes.

Cooking and final presentation of the rice with cod

1. When all the ingredients are cooked, add the broth and water (three parts for each part of rice).
2. We stir it until it boils and let it cook for about 5 minutes.
3. Then we add the round rice. We stir everything gently so that it is well impregnated with the stew and absorbs the flavor. Add the saffron and correct if necessary.
4. We raise the temperature until it begins to boil and at that moment we lower it so that it is done over low heat (approximately 15 minutes).
5. If we notice that the rice is a little hard and we run out of liquid we can always add more water. Considering that the end point should not be too dry or too steep.
6. To finish, remove from the heat and let it rest for 10 minutes with the lid on.

A dish that maybe you did not know but that will become a classic in your kitchen, you will definitely do it more than once.

Be sure to enjoy all the recipes for fish and seafood that we have on the blog.

You can see all the photos of the step by step of the rice with cod recipe  in this album. Do not miss any detail and it will turn out like my mother’s.