Salt cod esqueixada with salmorejo
Try out Angel's duo of regional Spanish recipes. From Catalonia is esqueixada; a salad of salt cod mixed with peppers, red onion, olives and orange segments. Esqueixar is Catalan for ‘to tear’, referring to the salt cod which must be torn into flakes instead of chopped. If your salt cod is dried, you will need to soak it in water for 48 hours first. The salmorejo is a chilled tomato, pepper and bread soup from Andalusia.
Ingredients
Metric
Imperial
Salmorejo
- 750g of ripe tomatoes
- 1 shallot, peeled
- 5 piquillo peppers
- 1 garlic clove, peeled
- 150g of cucumber, peeled
- 1 medium egg, hard-boiled and peeled
- 75g of bread, crusts removed
- 50ml of arbequina olive oil
- 15ml of sherry vinegar
- salt
- freshly ground black pepper
Dressing
- 150ml of olive oil
- 60ml of sherry vinegar
- 1/2 garlic clove, finely chopped
- 1 bay leaf
Esqueixada
- 400g of salt cod fillet
- 1 tbsp of red onion, finely diced
- 1 piparras pepper, finely sliced (also known as guindillas)
- 1/2 tbsp of red pepper, finely diced
- 1/2 tbsp of Padrón peppers, finely diced
- 2 tbsp of pitted Kalamata olives, quartered lengthways
- 1 large orange
- 1 handful of frisée lettuce
- 1 tbsp of fresh parsley, chopped
Equipment
- Blender
Method
If the salt cod you have needs to be desalinated, soak it in a bowl of cold water in the fridge for 48 hours, changing the water after 24 hours. If you’ve bought it already desalinated, you can skip this step
The day before you plan to serve, marinate the ingredients for the salmorejo. Roughly chop the tomatoes, shallot, pepper, garlic, cucumber, egg and bread and place in a bowl. Mix the sherry vinegar in and season with salt and pepper then place in the fridge and leave to marinate overnight
- 750g of ripe tomatoes
- 1 shallot, peeled
- 5 piquillo peppers
- 1 garlic clove, peeled
- 150g of cucumber, peeled
- 1 medium egg, hard-boiled and peeled
- 75g of bread, crusts removed
- 15ml of sherry vinegar
- salt
- freshly ground black pepper
Prepare the esqueixada dressing the day before too. Mix all the ingredients together and leave overnight to infuse
- 150ml of olive oil
- 60ml of sherry vinegar
- 1/2 garlic clove, finely chopped
- 1 bay leaf
On the day you plan to serve, place the marinated salmorejo ingredients into a blender and blitz. With the motor still running, gradually pour in the olive oil to emulsify the mixture into a smooth soup. Taste for seasoning and reserve in the fridge until ready to serve
- 50ml of arbequina olive oil
Drain the salt cod (if it has been soaking) and tear it into small pieces. Place in a bowl along with the red onion, piparras, red pepper, padron pepper and olives. Peel and segment the oranges, then add these to the bowl too along with the lettuce and parsley
- 400g of salt cod fillet
- 1 tbsp of red onion, finely diced
- 1 piparras pepper, finely sliced (also known as guindillas)
- 1/2 tbsp of red pepper, finely diced
- 1/2 tbsp of Padrón peppers, finely diced
- 2 tbsp of pitted Kalamata olives, quartered lengthways
- 1 large orange
- 1 handful of frisée lettuce
- 1 tbsp of fresh parsley, chopped
Remove and discard the bay leaf from the dressing, then pour some of it over the salt cod salad (you probably won't need it all). Toss to combine thoroughly, then place in the fridge for around 20-30 minutes to allow the acidity in the dressing to ‘cook’ the fish very slightly
Divide the esqueixada between plates with a bowl of the salmorejo on the side and serve with a glass of Beronia Rueda
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