Codfish and eggs (bacalao con huevos)

Bacalao (dried salted cod) is a common ingredient in the Dominican Republic, and it’s frequently cooked during Lent, when many people abstain from eating meat. In this recipe, the preserved fish is cooked with onion and capsicum for flavouring and then enhanced with eggs.

Credit: Rock Point / Vanessa Moto

• serves

  4

• prep

  10 minutes

• cook

  35 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Serve with a side of cooked white rice or fried plantains for a complete meal.

Ingredients

• 454 g (1 lb) dried salted cod (bacalao), boned
• 2 tbsp + 1 tsp (45 ml) vegetable oil
• 1 small red onion, diced
• ¼ medium red capsicum (bell pepper), diced
• ¼ medium green capsicum (bell pepper), dıced
• 1 tsp salt-free complete seasoning or all-purpose seasoning (see Note)
• 4 large eggs

Soaking time: 3 hours.

Instructions

1. Rinse the cod with cold water, then soak in cold water for 3 to 4 hours. Drain and discard the soaking water.
2. In a large pot, boil the cod in plenty of water for 15 minutes. Drain the water and rinse the cod one more time. (The goal is to remove as much salt from the fish as possible.) Flake the fish with two forks or your hands and set aside.
3. In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and capsicum (bell pepper) and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the onion softens.
4. Add the flaked cod and complete seasoning. Stir everything together and cook for about 10 minutes, or until the cod is tender.
5. Stir in the eggs, breaking the yolks and scrambling them slightly as they mix with the cod in the skillet (see Note). Cook and stir for about 5 minutes, or until the eggs are cooked to desired doneness.
6. 6 Serve warm, with rice, avocado or fried plantain if desired.  

Note

• The rehydrated, flaked cod provides the only source of salt in this recipe. Since the bacalao is already salted, there is no need to add any additional salt. If after adding the eggs you find the dish to be too salty, add in 1 or 2 more eggs.

• Complete seasoning, also called sazon completa, is a mix of dried herbs and spices used in Caribbean and Latin American cooking. It is available from some specialist and online retailers. You can use a no-salt all-purpose seasoning instead.

Image and text from The Dominican Kitchen by Vanessa Mota, published by Murdoch Books. Photography by Vanessa Mota.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.

Serve with a side of cooked white rice or fried plantains for a complete meal.