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Bacalao al Pil Pil — The Basque Emulsion That Comes From the Fish Itself

#spanish#basque#seafood#salt-cod#bacalao

60m

Total time

4

Servings

—

kcal

intermediate

Difficulty

Jul 3, 2026

INGREDIENTS.

4
Seafood
  • 700 g salt cod (bacalao), thick skin-on loin cuts (lomos)
Pantry
  • 300 ml extra virgin olive oil, mild Spanish variety (Arbequina or Hojiblanca)
  • 2 whole dried guindilla chilis or small dried red chilis (optional)
Produce
  • 6 whole garlic cloves, thinly sliced (not crushed, not minced)

THE METHOD.

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0/6 done

FAQ · Things people ask

About this recipe.

What if my pil pil sauce won't emulsify?

Most likely the oil was too hot during the swirling stage. The gelatin denatures above about 70°C and loses its emulsifying power. Let the oil cool to warm — press the outside of the pan; it should feel comfortably warm, not hot — then try swirling again with a mesh strainer. If the sauce is completely broken (looks like separated, greasy oil), warm it very gently over the lowest possible heat while adding a tablespoon of warm water and swirling continuously. Sometimes it recovers. If not, serve the cod with the garlic oil poured over it; the flavour will still be excellent, just without the emulsion.

Where do I buy bacalao?

Spanish, Portuguese, and Latin American grocery stores reliably stock dried salt cod. Online retailers carry it too. What matters is the cut: look for thick lomos (loin sections) with the skin still attached. The skin is where most of the gelatin lives, and without it the sauce will be thin and may not emulsify at all. Avoid thin tail pieces and pre-shredded or flaked bacalao, which have neither enough gelatin nor enough structure for this preparation.

How do I know when the fish is cooked?

Gently press the thickest part of a piece with a fork — the flesh should just begin to separate into its natural flakes but still hold together as a single piece. It should look opaque throughout, with no hard or translucent areas. At 60–65°C oil temperature this typically takes 8–12 minutes depending on the thickness of your lomos. Err on the side of slightly undercooked: the fish continues to cook from residual heat once removed from the oil, and overcooked bacalao becomes rubbery and loses the gelatin it releases more quickly.

Can I use fresh cod instead of salt cod?

You can, but it becomes a different dish. Salt cod has significantly more gelatin than fresh cod, partly from the drying and salting process itself, which concentrates the collagen in the skin and flesh. Fresh cod will produce a sauce, but it will be thinner. To improve it: dry-brine fresh cod overnight under a thick layer of salt in the fridge, then rinse thoroughly and proceed as directed. The flavour will be milder and less complex — excellent, but not bacalao al pil pil in any traditional sense.

What is the difference between pil pil and bacalao a la vizcaína?

They are the two great Basque bacalao classics but could not be more different in character. Pil pil is a refined, pale, almost minimalist oil emulsion — white-ivory, unctuous, barely seasoned. Bacalao a la vizcaína uses a deeply coloured cooked sauce of choricero peppers, onions, tomatoes, and sometimes bread — brick-red, chunky, sweet-savoury. Pil pil is the technique dish; vizcaína is the flavour-building dish. Both are essential; neither substitutes for the other.

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