Cod with garlic and chilli sauce (pil pil sauce)

This dish can be served as a tapas dish, as a starter or as a supper dish.

"Pil pil" refers to a traditional Basque sauce commonly used in Spanish cuisine, particularly in the Basque country.. The name "pil pil" comes from the sound the sauce makes as it simmers: a gentle bubbling or sizzling noise. The sauce is typically made with olive oil, garlic, and chili peppers, which are slowly cooked together to create a flavourful and slightly spicy base.

Preparation Time: 10 Mins

Cooking Time: 40 Mins

Total Time: 1 Hr

Ingredients

For 2 servings…

1 fillet             Cod  - cut into 4 pieces          

                     Salt          

75 ml              Olive oil     

2 cloves           Garlic  - cut into slices

2                    Chillies  - red, hot - whole       

Method

Season the cod fillets with salt.

Pour the olive oil into a pan that is just big enough to hold all the cod.  Add the sliced garlic and dried chillies and start frying from cold.  When the garlic turns golden, scoop out the cayenne chilies and garlic and set aside.  Remove the pan from the heat to let the oil cool slightly - about 1 minute.

Put the cod pieces into the oil — they will fry at the beginning but will very quickly stop bubbling.  Let the cod cook in the infused oil at a very low temperature.  Some liquid will be released from the fish — this will form the base of the sauce and will be used to create an emulsion with the infused oil (like a mayonnaise).  After 10 minutes, return the pan to the heat (at a very low level) and let the cod cook, without letting it bubble, for 25 minutes.  Remove the cod from the pan and set aside.

To make the sauce…

Use a large spoon to scoop out as much oil as possible from the pan; keep this oil to one side.  Use a whisk to stir vigorously the juices in the bottom of the pan.  Gradually pour back the oil that was removed - whilst continuing to stir vigorously.  Do this until the pil pil sauce is formed — it should start to look a bit like mayonnaise.

Serve the cod loins with the sauce and top with the fried garlic and chillies.  Serve with bread which can be used for dipping in the sauce.

Wine recommendations

A aromatic white wine.

Conventional

     Txakoli de Getaria

Interesting

     Côtes de Gascogne blanc

     Jurançon

     Muscadet Sèvre et Maine Sur lie

     Rioja bianco

Adventurous

     Fino Sherry