Two Fishy Questions

Question:  My mother and uncle are from Mexico and they remember my Abuelita making pescado bacalao and I would like to know if you have a recipe for it.

Until recently I haven’t been a fan of bacalao.  I don’t like tomato sauce on fish but I found a marvelous bacalao blanco recipe in Veracruz that I will include in addition to this perfect recipe from Saveur magazine for the traditional bacalao a la vizcaina eat at Christmas .

I’ve written for them and they  test and test the recipes until they come out perfectly.
(Bacalao a la Vizcaína)
SERVES 6 – 8
Salt cod appears on Christmas Eve tables throughout Mexico. In the nation’s capital, the most popular preparation
is this version of a classic salt cod dish from the Spanish province of Vizcaya. The Mexican interpretation adds almonds and olives and omits the Spanish original’s cured ham, dried sweet red peppers, and dried red chiles.
2 lbs. salt cod, cut into large pieces
1⁄2 cup olive oil
4 medium tomatoes, cored and minced
1 medium white onion, peeled and
finely chopped
3 whole cloves
1⁄4 tsp. whole black peppercorns
1⁄4 tsp. dried marjoram leaves
1⁄4 tsp. dried thyme leaves
1⁄2 cup blanched almonds
1 cup large pitted green Spanish or
Italian olives
3 tbsp. small pickled green chiles plus
3 tbsp. of the pickling juice
1. Soak cod in a large bowl of cold water for 6–8 hours, changing water several times. Drain. Cover cod with cold water again, then break apart into flakes while picking through cod to remove any skin and bones. Drain again.
2. Put cod into a medium pot, cover with cold water, and boil over high heat until tender, about 5 minutes. Drain and set aside.
3. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add tomatoes and onions and cook, stirring often, for 10 minutes. Add cod, increase heat to medium-high, and cook, breaking fish up further with a wooden spoon, until mixture begins to fry, 7–10 minutes. Add cloves, peppercorns, marjoram, and thyme and cook for 5 minutes. Add almonds and olives and cook until heated through, 1–2 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and stir in chiles and pickling juice. Set aside to cool to room temperature before serving.

Bacalao en Ajo Blanco
Salt Cod in Garlic Sauce

The beloved salt bacalao of Spain is just as beloved in Veracruz. Aside from the cooking in a flour-bound sauce, the local bacalao en ajo blanco is very reminiscent of the Basque bacalao al pil-pil. This version is adapted from a fundraising recipe collection called Cocina Veracruzana de Abolengo.
Salt cod is very widely sold in markets catering to Italian, West Indian, and Portuguese or Brazilian customers. Do not confuse it with the tough-as-nails air-dried cod (stockfish). It must be desalted before cooking by soaking in several changes of cold water. Try to find real salt cod, not the salt pollack or other fish that are sometimes sold as “bacalao” now that the supply of true cod is shrinking.

This recipe was first published in Saveur in Issue #55

Makes 4 servings as first course

1 pound dried salt cod (bacalao), preferably skinless and boneless
8 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
6 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon minced Italian parsley
2 cups water
1 tablespoon minced itlalian parsley
Freshly ground white pepper
1/2- 1 teaspoon salt , optional (depending on saltiness of fish)
Slices of French bread, toasted

Cut the bacalao into 2-inch pieces.  Soak overnight in a large bowl of cold water, changing the water three times.  Drain well and set aside, removing any skin and bones. Grind the garlic to a paste, using a mortar and pestle or a mini-processor.  In a heavy, medium-sized skillet, heat the oil to rippling over medium-high heat.  Add the garlic paste and cook for 1 minute.  Add the flour; reduce the heat to medium and cook for 2 – 4 minutes, stirring constantly to amalgamate, do not let the mixture brown.  Add the water and stir to combine smoothly.  Add the drained fish, parsley and white pepper.  Taste for salt (by now the dish should be thoroughly desalted) and add 1/2 – 1 teaspoon if desired.  Cover tightly and cook for 20 minutes over medium heat.  The fish should flake easily but not be mushy.  Serve with slices of toasted French bread

The picture is yet anoher bacalao but thi s one is from a rerstauran in pain that does not shed the fish.  In Mexico it is traditional to shred it but you can do as you wish.

Question: I saw the recipe for Caldo Verde de Robalo.  Where can you buy that particular fish?  Please let me know.  Thanks!
If you live in Manhattan, you can often buy sea bass at Citarella  (you call the main number
212-874-0383 and they will tell if and where they have it.) I had  a less
than perfect experience at the West Side location the other day (poorly opened oysters with jagged edges that cut my lip) but both the Upper East  Side and downtown stores have excellent service and product.

Some fish stores in Chinatown have it too and they are often alive when you buy them.  There you  can get heads etc for
a really great stock.

For those who speak Spanish. this recipe was given to me by an ex-assistant, the ever-efficient and wonderful cook, Ada Valencia Solana

RECETA BACALAO (1kg)

INGREDIENTES:

Bacalao sin hueso y sin espinas
De ½ litro a ¾ de aceite de oliva
½ cabeza de ajo grande
1 cebolla del tamaño de una naranja gde.
1 taza de perejil picado
¾ de jitomate saladet
15 papas cambray
1 lata de chiles largos
1 lata de aceitunas sin hueso
2 lata de pimiento morrón de .200gr.
1 taza de puré de tomate

PREPARACION

1.- Lavar y desalar el pescado.
2.- Remojar el bacalao al menos 36 horas cambiándole el agua cada 6 horas
3.- Dejar escurrir, después desmenuzar (al gusto) y limpiar de espinas y huesos
4.- Pelar y picar los ajos finamente
5.- Calentar muy bien el aceite
6.- Poner a sazonar los ajos
7.- Picar la cebolla y añadirla al aceite
8.- Ya sazonados el ajo y la cebolla se agrega el perejil y una lata de pimiento morrón picado y seguir sazonando
9.- Integrar el jitomate picado y la taza de puré al recaudo y seguir sazonando
10.- Añadir el bacalao integrándolo dejando que se cosa
11.- Ya cocidas y peladas, agregar las papas, poner ½ lata de aceitunas escurridas
14.-  Escurrir y poner chiles largos al gusto y seguir sazonando
15.- Adornar con la otra lata del morrón y algunos chiles

Recomendaciones:
El jitomate siempre suelta mucha agua, vigilar después de cocido el pescado si es necesario retirar líquido.
Siempre va a mejorar el sabor con el recalentado
Antes de recalentarlo agregar aceite de oliva crudo.
Si se va a congelar no agregar las papas.