Basque style sautéed salt cod, with a “pisto” of peppers, onions, and tomatoes.

Salted codfish must be soaked in water for AT LEAST 24 hours, preferably 48, before cooking. This is necessary to leach out the salt. Change the water 2-3 times in a 24-hour period. If the fish is not soaked for 24-48 hours, the fish will be so salty as to render it inedible.

Rinse the salt cod in water before soaking. Place the fish in a glass baking dish or bowl and cover with water. When ready to use, discard water, rinse fish again and pat dry. Cut into 8 pieces and set aside.

Remove stems from dried peppers and soak in a saucepan of hot water until softened.

Peel and slice garlic lengthwise. Peel and chop the onion. Remove stems and seeds from green peppers and chop into small squares.

Pour about 120ml of olive oil into a large frying pan and heat on medium. Place garlic slices into the oil and sauté for 2 minutes. Remove garlic slices before they brown and set aside for later. Place cod into the garlic-infused oil and fry on both sides for 5-10 minutes. Remove cod and set aside. Scrape the flesh from the inside of the re-hydrated peppers and stir into the pan juices.

In a separate large frying pan, sauté onion, peppers, and tomatoes in a few tablespoons of olive oil. Sauté for 8-10 minutes, stirring often. When vegetables have formed a “pisto,” turn off the heat.

Serve and enjoy!