Cod Extremadura Style: Recipe with Breadcrumbs and Pepper

Bacalao a la extremeña: the recipe that unites pastureland and sea

Extremadura is far from the sea. But this distance, paradoxically, turned salted cod into one of the pillars of its cuisine. Cod traveled well, withstood the heat, and didn't need refrigeration. In a land of shepherds and dehesas (pasturelands), it was the protein for Lent and days of vigil.

Bacalao a la extremeña is not a single dish with a fixed recipe. It is rather a family of preparations that share common ingredients: pepper, garlic, olive oil, and often, migas (fried breadcrumbs). The best-known version combines cod with a pepper and tomato sauce, accompanied by Extremaduran migas or stewed potatoes.

What defines the Extremaduran character is its heartiness. These are winter dishes, for long days in the fields, that are filling and comforting. Paprika from La Vera —smoked, intense, with a designation of origin— appears in almost all versions and gives the cod an unmistakable flavor.

Ingredients for 4 people

For the cod:

• 600 g desalted cod (loins or thick cuts)
• 2 roasted red peppers (or jarred piquillo peppers)
• 1 Italian green pepper
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 1 medium onion
• 300 g crushed tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon La Vera paprika (sweet or bittersweet)
• 80 ml extra virgin olive oil
• 1 bay leaf
• Salt and black pepper

For the Extremaduran migas (side dish):

• 250 g day-old bread (round loaf or rustic bread)
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 100 g pancetta or torreznos (fried pork belly)
• 80 ml olive oil
• 150 ml water
• 1 teaspoon La Vera paprika

The migas are optional but highly recommended. The contrast between the crunchy migas and the juicy cod sauce elevates the dish to another level.

Preparation of Bacalao a la extremeña

1. Prepare the sauce. Heat the oil in a wide pot over medium heat. Sauté the finely chopped onion for 10 minutes. Add the green pepper cut into strips and cook for 5 more minutes.
2. Garlic and paprika. Add the sliced garlic. Sauté for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat for a moment, add the La Vera paprika, stir quickly, and return to the heat. La Vera paprika has a smoky aroma that is enhanced by heat, but it becomes bitter if burned.
3. Tomato. Pour in the crushed tomatoes and bay leaf. Cook over medium-low heat for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens and the oil begins to separate.
4. Red peppers. Cut the roasted red peppers into wide strips. Add them to the sauce. Cook for 5 minutes for the flavors to meld.
5. Cook the cod. Place the cod loins on top of the sauce, skin side up. Cover the pot and cook over low heat for 10-12 minutes. Do not stir: gently shake the pot.

The sauce should be thick and unctuous. La Vera paprika gives it a dark reddish hue and a smoky flavor that wonderfully envelops the cod.

How to make Extremaduran migas

The migas are prepared separately and served as a side dish. They require constant attention, but the process is simple.

1. Prepare the bread. Crumble the day-old bread into small, irregular pieces. Sprinkle with water (150 ml), mix well, and let it rest for 10 minutes covered with a cloth. The bread should be moist but not soggy.
2. Fry the pancetta. Cut the pancetta into small cubes. Fry it in a large pan with the oil over medium heat until crispy, about 5-6 minutes. Remove and set aside.
3. Sauté the garlic. In the same oil with the pancetta fat, fry the garlic cut into thick slices until golden. Remove them.
4. The migas. Increase the heat to medium-high. Add the moistened bread to the pan. Stir constantly with a wooden spatula for 15-20 minutes. The migas should loosen, brown, and become loose and crispy. This process does not allow for distractions: if you stop stirring, they will stick and burn.
5. Finish. When the migas are golden and loose, remove from heat. Add the pancetta, fried garlic, and paprika. Mix well.

Well-made Extremaduran migas are light, crispy, with a deep garlic and paprika flavor. Poorly made, they are clumpy and oily. The key is not to skimp on constant stirring.

Variations of Extremaduran cod

Cod with "patatas a lo pobre" (poor man's potatoes). Instead of migas, many families serve cod over thinly sliced potatoes slowly fried in olive oil with onion. The potatoes absorb the sauce, and the result is smoother than with migas.

Cod with stew. A brothier version where the cod is cooked directly with diced potatoes, onion, pepper, and lots of paprika. It resembles a lamb stew but with cod. The potato partially breaks down and thickens the broth.

Cod with wild asparagus. In spring, when wild asparagus sprouts in the dehesa, it is added to the stew in the last 5 minutes of cooking. The bitterness of the wild asparagus contrasts very well with the sweetness of the pepper.

To drink, a Ribera del Guadiana wine. The Extremaduran designation of origin produces red wines with personality, made from Tempranillo and Garnacha. A young wine with some fruit, without too much barrel aging, pairs well with the intensity of the paprika.

La Vera paprika: the spice that defines Extremadura

To talk about Extremaduran cuisine is to talk about La Vera paprika. This spice with a designation of origin is produced in the region of La Vera (Cáceres), where the peppers are dried by smoking with oak and holm oak wood for 10-15 days.

That smoking is what differentiates La Vera paprika from any other paprika in the world. It is intense, complex, with woody notes and a slightly spicy undertone. It comes in three varieties: sweet (the most used in cod), bittersweet (an interesting blend), and spicy (in moderation).

For this dish, I recommend the sweet or bittersweet. The spicy can be too dominant. One teaspoon is enough: La Vera paprika is potent, and too much will make the stew bitter.

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