Bacalao Guisado (Puerto Rican Salted Codfish)
Bacalao guisado or Puerto Rican salted codfish along with vianda or root vegetables is a staple dish in Puerto Rico. It is typically served with white rice, avocado, and hard boiled eggs on the side. It's packed with tons of flavor and is easy to put together!
Ingredients
- 1 lb salted codfish, boneless soaked overnight
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/4 cup sofrito
- 1 cup tomato sauce
- 1 yellow onion sliced
- 3 cloves garlic crushed
- 1/2 green bell pepper sliced
- 1/2 red bell pepper sliced
- 2 tbsp pimento-stuffed green olives whole or sliced
- 1 tomato diced
- 1/2 tsp sazon Healthy Rican
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp ground oregano
- 2-3 sprigs cilantro chopped (optional)
- water, as needed
Instructions
Soak the salted codfish
- To soak the salted codfish, just remove from the package, give it a good rinse under cold running water and add it to a large bowl filled with cold water. Store in the refrigerator overnight. The next day, discard the water and rinse with fresh, cold water.
- Check the codfish for any bones and skin left behind. Do not flake the fish. It will flake as it cooks in the stew. Discard the bones and set the codfish aside.
Cook the bacalao guisado
- In a caldero (pot) heat the oil over medium heat. Add the sofrito and half of the tomato sauce. Cook until fragrant, 1-2 minutes.
- Cook the onion until it becomes translucent. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
- Add the bell peppers, tomatoes, olives and seasonings. Stir to combine.
- Add the codfish and the remaining tomato sauce. Stir to combine, breaking up the fish into small pieces. If necessary, add some water.
- Lower the heat to low, cover, and simmer until the sauce has thickened (5 to 10 minutes). Sprinkle chopped cilantro over the top. Taste and season, if necessary.
- Serve and enjoy!
Video
Notes
Desalting the Cod:
Salted cod is extremely SALTY! Therefore, it is important to remove some of that salt before eating it. I find that soaking the salted cod in cold water overnight works much better than boiling it. When you boil salted cod fish you run the risk of making the fish tough. When soaking the fish in cold water, it remains soft and tender! To soak the salted codfish, just remove from the package, give it a good rinse under cold running water and add it to a large bowl filled with cold water. Store in the refrigerator overnight. The next day, discard the water and rinse with fresh, cold water. Of course, if you are running short on time, you can soak the salted cod for 30 minutes and then boil for 15 minutes.Substitutions:
- If you can’t find salted codfish, use salted pollock or hake.
- If you can’t find any salted fish, use fresh fish. Once cooked, flake it with a fork and use in the recipe as instructed.