In short: Rice with potatoes and desalted cod: a traditional sailor's dish in 30 minutes. Bomba rice, fish broth, sofrito with paprika. Regional variations (northern choricero, Catalan sofrito, Galician smoked).
Table of contents
A forgotten sailor's spoon dish
Rice with potatoes and cod is one of those traditional dishes that have survived in village bars and grandmother's homes but rarely appear on modern menus. It belongs to the category of "sailor's use-it-up dishes"—fish broth, rice, potato, and desalted cod, pantry ingredients.
It is a typical dish from coastal areas of Levante, Cantabria, Asturias, and Galicia, with notable regional variations. The most common version includes paprika, but there are versions with choricero pepper (north), saffron (Mediterranean), or tomato sofrito (Catalonia).
Ingredients (4 people)
- 300 g Bomba or Senia rice
- 400 g desalted cod (loin or shredded)
- 2 medium potatoes, diced into 2 cm cubes
- 1.2 L fish broth
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 red pepper
- 2 grated tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika (or smoked)
- A strand of saffron (optional)
- Salt, pepper
- EVOO
- Fresh parsley
Step-by-step (30 minutes)
- Prepare cod: flake into not-too-small pieces. Set aside.
- Sofrito: In a deep pot, sauté onion for 5 min in EVOO. Add garlic, pepper, sauté 3 min more. Add grated tomato and cook 5 min until it loses water. Add paprika off the heat (to prevent burning).
- Add potatoes and sauté for 2 min.
- Pour in hot broth, saffron, and salt. Bring to a boil.
- Add rice in a scattered stream. Lower heat to medium.
- Cook for 12 minutes. At 14 min, add flaked cod on top. Cook 4 min more.
- Rest for 3 minutes off-heat before serving.
- Serve with chopped parsley and a drizzle of raw EVOO.
Regional variations
Cantabrian version: add 2 rehydrated choricero peppers to the sofrito. Deeper and sweeter.
Catalan version: add a little Catalan sofrito (well-cooked tomato, onion, pepper). Redder color.
Galician version: add a little "de la Vera" paprika oil at the end. More smoky.
Asturian version: with a more concentrated fish broth (made from hake and monkfish heads). More intense.
Tips for a perfect result
Hot broth. Always add hot broth to rice: if you add cold broth, the cooking stops and the result is poor.
Don't stir too much. Rice releases starch when stirred and becomes sticky. Better to "shake" the pot.
Cod at the end. If you add it at the beginning, it will fall apart and dry out. The last 4 minutes are enough.
Final rest. 3 minutes off-heat allows the rice to absorb the remaining broth.
Serve immediately. Rice loses texture if left in the pot for 15 minutes.
Desalted cod ready for your rice
Vacuum-packed desalted cod, ready to use. Saves you 24 hours of desalting. Gourmet quality from Mercat del Ninot.
Frequently asked questions
What type of rice is best for rice with potatoes and cod?
Desalted or salted cod?
Fish broth or water?
How long does the rice take to cook?
Does it contain saffron or paprika?
Variant with choricero pepper?
Can it be prepared in advance?
To finish
Rice with potatoes and cod is one of those dishes that is only passed down by hand: nobody cooks it if they didn't learn it at home. If you've never made it, this recipe is the starting point—and with quality desalted cod, it elevates the result from "decent homemade" to "memorable homemade."
The entire range of Bacalalo cod
Loins, shredded, kokotxas. For rice dishes, stews, or main courses. Premium artisan selection.
