CHICKPEA WHITE BEAN SALT COD AND SPINACH STEW Makes a substantial dinner for six, a light dinner for eight, and probably a good dozen tapas! It freezes nicely, so you can split it up into tiny bags for later meals. 347 calories per serving for six people, 261 calories for eight people, and 174 calories for twelve people. Don’t be scared off by the concept of salt fish; Bacalao, the equivalent of de-salted salt cod, is really simple to prepare and tastes great after only an hour of salting and 30 minutes of soaking! Feel free to experiment with other combinations of chickpeas, butter beans, and white beans as long as the total cooked weight does not exceed 850g. Serve it with some crusty bread, a little extra virgin olive oil, and some Alioli, or garlicky “mayonnaise” in the Spanish way, on the side if you’re not watching your weight.
INGREDIENTS CHICKPEA WHITE BEAN SALT COD AND SPINACH STEW
- 500g fresh cod fillets, skin
- Coarse sea salt
- Approximately 850g cooked chickpeas/white beans of choice, you can use just one, or mix them up to your tastes.
- 235g chickpeas
- 360g butter beans (1 ½ drained tins)
- 246g cannellini beans (1 drained tin)
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 75g diced chorizo sausage
- 2 onions, peeled, quartered and sliced (200g)
- 2 (fresh) bay leaves
- 6 fat cloves of garlic, sliced or crushed
- 800g peeled, chopped tomatoes
- 1 tbsp smoked mild/sweet paprika
- ¼ tsp cayenne/chilli/pinch of chilli flakes
- 250ml hot fish stock or use vegetable
- Generous pinch saffron, soaked in 2 tbsp hot water
- 500g fresh baby leaf/350g frozen spinach (defrosted), roughly chopped
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley, to serve
INSTRUCTIONSCHICKPEA WHITE BEAN SALT COD AND SPINACH STEW
- If the fish is fresh, start by salting it. Arrange the skin-side down fish fillets in a single layer on a plate or dish to collect any juices that come out of the cod after it’s salted. Use coarse sea salt (don’t use fine, as it will be too salty) and sprinkle fairly liberally (see picture below) and let sit for at least an hour. The fish will have absorbed some of the salt flavor and released some liquid at this point. After completely rinsing the salt, add it to a container and fill it with cold water. Let it sit for 30 to 45 minutes, changing the water twice (after ten or fifteen minutes, then again). Take out, pat dry, and put away. When soaking Bacalao, use four or five liters of water; the duration of the soak may range from one to two days, depending on the thickness; change the water three or four times.
- Heat a large, heavy pan (such as a wok) on the stovetop over medium-low heat and pour in the olive oil. The chorizo should be fried for three to four minutes to liberate its oils. Reduce the heat to low and add the onions along with the bay leaves. Gently cook for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the onions are tender and beginning to turn golden. Cook for a further minute after adding the garlic, paprika, and cayenne or chili, if using.
- Increase the heat, add the diced tomatoes, fish stock, and saffron, and simmer. Reduce the heat slightly and simmer until somewhat thickened and reduced, approximately 15 minutes. Simmer for a further ten minutes after adding the beans and chickpeas.
- In the meanwhile, heat up a big pan of water to a boil, immediately reduce the heat to low, and add the salted cod. Cook for 5 to 6 minutes, or until it’s just done, then remove and place on a dish to cool down. Break the cod into big flakes with your hands, discarding the skin and any bones you uncover.
- In the stew, add the spinach, ½ tsp of salt, and freshly ground black pepper. Stir and simmer for a few minutes, or until the spinach has wilted if using fresh. Next, add the flaked fish and stir very gently, being careful not to break up the flakes. The fish is rather salty, so you probably won’t need to add more salt. Taste for seasoning and add more if necessary. Enjoy! Garnish with freshly cut parsley and serve.
FINAL WORDS AND NOTES If you purchase dried chickpeas, you can soak the entire packet overnight (be sure to follow the instructions regarding the amount of water to use). Alternatively, if you forget to soak the beans overnight, place them in a large pan with plenty of water, bring to a boil, simmer for two minutes, then turn off the heat and let the water cool for an hour before cooking. Then, cook the entire batch the following day, let it cool, and freeze it in zapable bags. They stay in the freezer for a long time, and after they’re frozen, all you have to do is gently beat the bag to separate them and neatly pour out what you need to add to soups, stews, curries, hummus, and other dishes. Purchasing them this way is far less expensive than purchasing them in cans, and the flavor and texture are substantially better without the tininess.