Tin-Baked Salt Cod

Like so many other dishes found around the world, bacallà a la llauna takes its name from the cookware it’s prepared in: in this case

Bacallà a la Llauna
Like so many other dishes found around the world, bacallà a la llauna takes its name from the cookware it’s prepared in: in this case, a llauna, or special baking tin, that’s around 1-11⁄2 inches deep, with an elongated handle on either side (though there are also those without handles for use in the oven). Tin-baked salt cod is extremely popular in the city of Barcelona.
This dish has its origins in the famous Les Fondes (traditional Catalan cuisine restaurants in Barcelona city during the 19th century).

TRADITIONS:

Across Catalonia, Lent is often represented by the figure of an old lady, who has as many legs as weeks during the period. The old lady carries a cod filet in her hand and a basket on her arm. According to tradition, one of her legs is ripped off with the passing of each week. Her name is La Vella Quaresma.
Below you will find a series of cod recipes, including bacallà a la llauna. According to Manuel Vázquez Montalabán, “The cod recipe with the most hegemonic hold on Catalan cuisine is, undoubtedly, bacallà a la llauna, an absolutely anthropological method for preparing cod that, when seen within the line of popular philosophy, is as defining as pa amb tomàquet or la botifarra amb seques.”

30 min

Ingredients

4 pieces salt cod loin, desalted
All-purpose flour
1/3 cup Catalan Extra Virgin Olive Oil – EVOO
4 garlic cloves, sliced thin
2 tsp. Tap de Cortí paprika

For the Picada

3 sprigs of parsley, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 Tbsp. EVOO

Step by Step Instructions

Step 1.
Heat the oven to 400°F.

Step 2.
Using a mortar and pestle, prepare the picada by crushing the garlic and parsley while adding the three tablespoons of olive oil little by little.

Step 3.
Coat the salt cod in flour.

Step 4.
In a pan, heat oil until shimmering, then fry the cod filets until light- ly golden on both sides. Arrange the fried cod in a deep baking tin, skin-side facing down.

Step 5.
Using the same oil and pan, brown the garlic, then add the sweet pepper, stir, and fry for 30 seconds more, being careful not to let the pepper burn.

Step 6.
Scoop the mixture on top of the cod, then add the picada.

Step 7.
Bake the cod in the oven for 5-7 minutes, depending on how thick the filets are.