Bacalao al Pil-Pil
Salt cod in emulsified garlic-oil sauce
Ingredients
- 600 g Salt cod (bacalao)
- 6 cloves Garlic
- 250 ml Extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp Red pepper flakes (optional)
Method
- Soak the salt cod ahead: submerge it in plenty of cold water in the fridge for 24-48 hours, changing the water 3-4 times, until it's plump and no longer harshly salty. (Skip if using fresh or pre-desalted cod.)
- Pat the soaked cod dry. Check it's no longer aggressively salty (taste a flake).
- Slice the garlic thin lengthwise.
- Warm the olive oil with garlic and chilli over low heat until the garlic just turns pale gold.
- Lift the garlic out onto a plate. Keep the oil and pan over the lowest possible heat.
- Slide the cod in skin-side down. Confit (gently poach in the warm oil) at 70 °C (160 °F) for 8 minutes, basting.
- Lift the cod onto a warm plate. Let the oil cool 2 minutes off heat.
- Swirl the pan in slow circles for 3 minutes. The oil will pale and thicken into a creamy emulsion (the pil-pil).
- Return the cod to the pan. Spoon the pil-pil sauce over and warm 1 minute.
- Plate the cod. Pool the sauce around. Scatter the toasted garlic on top.
Tap “Start cooking” for live timers that flag what to get ahead on while something simmers.
About Bacalao al Pil-Pil
Bacalao al pil-pil is a Basque classic and a small feat of kitchen chemistry, made from just salt cod, garlic, olive oil, and chili. The name refers to the gentle pil-pil sound the cod makes as it poaches, but its real fame is the sauce: a pale yellow emulsion built with no cream, butter, or flour. Instead, the gelatin the cod releases into warm garlic oil is coaxed into binding with that oil, swirled by hand or by shaking the pan, until it thickens into a glossy, mayonnaise-like sauce. First the salt cod must be soaked for a day or two with several changes of water to draw out the salt and plump the flesh back up.
On the plate it's deceptively simple, tender flakes of cod under a silky garlic-and-oil sauce flecked with chili, delivering deep savory richness with the clean flavor of good cod and olive oil. The cod is confited, poached slowly in oil kept barely warm rather than fried, which keeps it moist and just-set. It's a low-carb, keto-friendly main traditionally eaten with bread to mop the emulsion, and it rewards patience over speed. The technique to master is heat control: keep the oil gentle so the garlic only turns pale gold and the emulsion forms, since too much heat scorches the garlic and breaks the sauce.
Bacalao al Pil-Pil: frequently asked questions
How many calories are in Bacalao al Pil-Pil?
A serving has about 717 calories — 43.8g protein, 1.3g carbs, 59g fat, 0.1g fiber. Figures are estimated from the ingredient amounts and will shift with your portions and brands.
Is it high in protein?
Each serving has about 43.8g of protein, roughly 24% of its calories.
Is Bacalao al Pil-Pil gluten-free?
Based on its ingredients, Bacalao al Pil-Pil has no gluten-containing components, so it's naturally gluten-free — as always, check that any packaged ingredients you use are certified gluten-free to be safe.
How long does Bacalao al Pil-Pil take to make?
About 25 minutes start to finish, but only around 16 of those are hands-on — the rest is cooking time. In the Homecooked app the timers and parallel steps are sequenced for you so the hands-on part feels even shorter.
Do I need every ingredient to make Bacalao al Pil-Pil?
The core ingredients are essential, but you can leave out red pepper flakes — they're optional and mainly there for extra flavor or finish.
How many servings does Bacalao al Pil-Pil make?
This recipe makes 4 servings. In the app you can scale it up or down and the ingredient amounts adjust automatically.