You may be familiar with the ubiquitous Spanish tortilla, a delicious potato (and often onion) omelette served as a tapa throughout the country. This tortilla is made instead with bacalao, or salt cod, a popular ingredient on the Iberian peninsula. I served mine with fried potatoes, green bean salad and marinated tomatoes.
Whether you buy dry salted or wet-salted cod, it will require 24 – 36 hours of soaking to remove the salt. Place the salt cod on a rack in water so that the salt can fall away and change the water every 6 hours or so. When the cod is ready, drain and dry it, remove the skin and any bones and cut it into small pieces. Slice 2 onions and slowly cook them in a generous amount of olive oil until they are soft and caramelised. Remove them to a plate and reheat the pan, adding more olive oil if necessary. Fry the cod pieces until they are nearly cooked through then add 3-4 finely minced cloves of garlic and cook until the fish is done. Remove from the heat. In a large bowl lightly beat 8 eggs. Add a bunch of roughly chopped parsley, the caramelised onions and the fish. Stir to combine well and season with plenty of freshly ground black pepper. In a clean pan heat 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil over low to moderate heat and pour the egg mixture in. When the omelette is half set, place the pan under the grill (broiler) and finish the top until just set. Serve hot or at room temperature.
michelle picker cooks 