Ensopado de Bacalhau e Camarão is a beloved recipe in Portugal. There are many variations for this comforting, soul warming food for gray winter days. Above all simple to make and very tasty.
Salt cod aficionados appreciate the delicate “saline flavor” of bacalhau which cannot be replicated using fresh cod. That’s the reason it is often called “prosciutto of the sea”.
Servings: 4
Time: 45 minutes
Ingredients:
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 lb salted cod fish codfish, desalted
- 8 large shrimps, peeled and de-veined
- 1 large onion, roughly chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, finely minced
- 1 large red, orange or green pepper, seeded and roughly chopped
- 1 tsp smoked Spanish paprika
- 4 medium tomatoes, peeled, seeded and roughly chopped
- 1 lb Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and quartered
- 2 cups kale leaves, roughly chopped or more to taste
- freshly ground pepper to taste
- 2 Tbsp flat-leaf (Italian) parsley, finely chopped for garnish
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 450 g salted cod fish codfish, desalted
- 8 large shrimps, peeled and de-veined
- 1 large onion, roughly chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, finely minced
- 1 large red, orange or green pepper, seeded and roughly chopped
- 1 tsp smoked Spanish paprika
- 4 medium tomatoes, peeled, seeded and roughly chopped
- 450 g Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and quartered
- 140 g kale leaves, roughly chopped or more to taste
- freshly ground pepper to taste
- 2 Tbsp flat-leaf (Italian) parsley, finely chopped for garnish
Salt Cod vs Stockfish
Salt cod (bacalhau) is using a long-lived preservation method of salting. Traditionally special varieties of cod were used but due to overfishing, other firm flesh non-oily fish often serve as substitutes such as haddock, pollack, hake and striped bass. The traditional salting process takes three weeks. The fish are placed in large crates, covered with salt and turned over every 4-5 days so that they can absorb all the salt and lose excess water. The salt content absorbed by the fish during salting must exceed 18%. Modern methods, eschewed by the the slow food movement, inject the fish with a salt solution.
Stockfish, on the other hand, is cod dried in the sun on special racks for three months. It seems that its name derives from the Norwegian stokkfisk or from the Dutch stokvis, meaning “stick fish” or “fish dried on sticks”. Stockfish and bacalhau are often confused, especially in Italy where the famous Baccalà alla Vicentina dish uses stoccafisso (stockfish).
Preparation
Bring water to a boil in a large saucepan. Add the previously desalted salt cod fish and reduce it to a simmer. Cook for about 10 minutes. Remove fish with a slotted spoon, place it on a plate. Save the cooking water.
Bring the cooking water to a boil again and add the potatoes. Cook for about 10 minutes over medium heat. Remove potatoes from water and set aside. Save the cooking water.
Heat olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add onions and peppers and garlic. Cook for about 10 minutes or until onions and peppers are beginning to get soft. Add the paprika and continue to cook for about 2-3 minutes while stirring to mix all well. Add the chopped tomatoes and continue to cook until tomatoes begin to fall apart, about 10 minutes. Add the cod fish, potatoes, kale and enough fish cooking water to cover. Cook until potatoes are soft. Add the shrimps and cook for 2-3 minutes or until shrimps just turn pink. Check for salt and pepper. If stew seems too thick, add more cooking water to obtain a soupier consistency. Garnish with parsley and serve.
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