DISH RESEARCH · Dish
Bacalao al Pil Pil
Basque salt cod gently cooked in olive oil and bound into a glossy garlic-and-chilli pil-pil sauce.
About Bacalao al Pil Pil
Bacalao al pil pil is a Basque salt-cod dish whose sauce is made by emulsifying olive oil with gelatin released from the fish. This profile follows Spain's official tourism recipe, preserving its concise four-ingredient formula.
The cod is deeply savoury and saline after soaking, while garlic perfumes the olive oil and chilli adds a focused warmth. The sauce tastes rich but clean because its body comes from the fish itself rather than cream or flour.
The cod is served in intact pale flakes beneath a glossy, yellow-green emulsion. Gentle cooking keeps the fish succulent, while the thick pil-pil sauce clings to the surface and fried garlic and chilli provide crisp, colourful accents.
Allergens in this recipe
Contains: Fish.
Other allergen details are unconfirmed.
Ingredients vary by restaurant. Confirm your allergens with staff before ordering.
Ingredients in Bacalao al Pil Pil
Basque Bacalao al Pil Pil with Garlic and Chilli.
- Salt-cod slicesFirm fish and sauce-forming gelatin
- Olive oilCooking medium and emulsified sauce base
- Garlic clovesFried aromatic garnish
- Chilli pepperWarm pepper garnish
Ingredient details & uncertainties
Allergen information is incomplete. Unconfirmed details do not establish that an allergen is absent.
- Salt-cod slices: . The source explicitly requires salt cod soaked before cooking
- Olive oil:
- Garlic cloves:
- Chilli pepper:
Origins & food traditions
Spain's official tourism site supplies the complete Basque Country recipe selected here: soaked salt cod, olive oil, garlic and chilli, worked in an earthenware dish to form the sauce. Its separate Basque food guide independently identifies cod al pil pil as a regional speciality whose defining sauce emulsifies olive oil with gelatin from the fish skin.
Countries
- Spain
- SpainCatalogue link pending review
Cuisines & regions
- Basque Cuisine
- Spanish Cuisine
- Basque CuisineCatalogue link pending review
AI-generated illustration of one possible presentation. Recipes and ingredients vary; the image does not establish allergen content.