Summary: Riojan-style cod is one of the great traditional dishes of La Rioja cuisine. It consists of desalinated cod loins slowly cooked in a sauce made with choricero peppers, onion, garlic, and olive oil. The result is a deeply flavorful dish, with a dark red, unctuous, and slightly sweet sauce that envelops the cod and makes it extraordinary.
Table of Contents
- What is Riojan-style cod?
- Choricero pepper: the soul of the dish
- Ingredients for 4 people
- Step-by-step preparation
- Tips for a perfect Riojan-style cod
- Variations of Riojan-style cod
- Riojan vs. Biscayan style: the differences
- How to serve and pair
- Nutritional information
- Frequently asked questions
- Conclusions
What is Riojan-style cod?
Riojan-style cod is one of the great traditional dishes of La Rioja cuisine. It consists of desalinated cod loins slowly cooked in a sauce made with choricero peppers, onion, garlic, and olive oil. The result is a deeply flavorful dish, with a dark red, unctuous, and slightly sweet sauce that envelops the cod and makes it extraordinary.
What distinguishes Riojan-style cod from other pepper-based preparations (such as Biscayan-style cod or ajoarriero) is the absolute prominence of the choricero pepper. This dried pepper, with its thick skin and sweet smoky flavor, is a fundamental ingredient in Riojan cuisine and is what gives the dish its dark red color and unmistakable taste.
Riojan-style cod is a star dish during Holy Week in La Rioja, but it is eaten all year round in bars and restaurants in Logroño, Haro, Calahorra, and throughout the region. During the San Mateo festivities (September), Riojan-style cod competes with Riojan-style potatoes and chuletillas al sarmiento as an emblematic dish.
Choricero pepper: the soul of the dish
The choricero pepper is a dried (non-spicy) pepper typical of northern Spain, especially La Rioja, the Basque Country, and Navarre. It gets its name because it was traditionally used to make chorizos, but its use in cooking goes far beyond that.
How to prepare choricero peppers
- Cut the peppers in half and remove the seeds and stem.
- Soak them in hot water for 30 minutes (or in cold water overnight).
- With a spoon, scrape the flesh from the inside of the skin. The skin is discarded.
- The scraped pulp is what you use for the sauce: it has an unctuous texture and a sweet, slightly smoky flavor.
If you can't find choricero peppers, you can substitute them with ñoras (smaller, similar flavor) or a mixture of piquillo peppers + sweet paprika from La Vera. It's not the same, but it's close.
Ingredients for 4 people
- 4 loins of desalinated cod, 180-200g with skin
- 8-10 dried choricero peppers (or 4 tablespoons of preserved choricero pulp)
- 2 large onions, diced
- 4 cloves of garlic, sliced
- 150 ml extra virgin olive oil
- Flour for dredging (2-3 tablespoons)
- Fresh parsley
- Salt (carefully: the cod already contributes) and pepper
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Step-by-step preparation
1. Prepare the choricero peppers (30 minutes soaking)
Cut the peppers open, remove seeds and stem. Soak them in hot water for 30 minutes. Scrape the flesh with a spoon. Reserve the pulp and the soaking water (you'll use it if you need to thin the sauce).
2. Sear the cod (4-5 minutes)
Pat the loins dry with paper towels. Lightly dredge the flesh side (not the skin side) in flour. In a pan with hot oil, sear the loins for 2 minutes on each side until golden. Set aside on a plate. Do not aim for full cooking: just an external sear.
3. Make the sauce (20 minutes)
In the same pan (or a casserole dish), with the oil from searing, add the onion and garlic. Cook over medium-low heat for 10-12 minutes until the onion is sautéed. Add the choricero pepper pulp and mix well. Cook for 5 more minutes. If the sauce is too thick, add a little of the pepper soaking water.
4. Cook the cod in the sauce (12-15 minutes)
Place the reserved cod loins over the sauce, skin side up. Lower the heat to low, cover, and cook for 12-15 minutes. The gelatin from the cod will release and emulsify with the sauce. Gently shake the casserole (do not stir with a spoon) every 3-4 minutes to help thicken.
5. Rest and serve
Remove from heat, sprinkle with parsley, and let rest covered for 5 minutes. Serve the loins with a generous amount of sauce over and around them.
Tips for a perfect Riojan-style cod
- Quality choricero peppers: the sauce is 100% dependent on the peppers. If you use good quality choriceros (fleshy, mold-free), the sauce will be spectacular. If the peppers are old or poor, the sauce will be bland.
- Flour only the flesh: the skin is not floured. The flour seals the flesh and then helps to slightly thicken the sauce.
- Rocking the casserole: as in pil-pil, the circular motion of the casserole helps to emulsify the gelatin from the cod with the oil and sauce.
- Do not salt the sauce: the cod already provides salinity. Taste at the end and only add salt if truly necessary.
- Mandatory resting time: the sauce settles and thickens during the 5 minutes of resting. This is when the dish reaches its optimal point.
Variations of Riojan-style cod
Riojan-style cod with potatoes
Add broken potatoes (broken by hand) to the sauce before the cod. Cook them for 15-20 minutes in the sauce before adding the loins. The potato starch thickens the sauce and creates a heartier dish.
Riojan-style cod with artichokes
In season (November-April), add quartered artichoke hearts. They are cooked with the onion and provide an elegant bitterness that pairs very well with the sweetness of the choricero pepper.
Riojan-style cod with egg
Some Riojan chefs add a poached egg on top of each loin just before serving. The runny yolk mixes with the sauce, creating an irresistible texture.
Riojan vs. Biscayan style: the differences
These are the two great cod dishes with pepper sauce from northern Spain, but they have important differences:
- The pepper: Riojan style uses choricero pepper (dried, sweet, smoky). Biscayan style uses choricero pepper + ñora and never tomato.
- The texture of the sauce: Riojan style has more texture, with visible pieces of onion and pepper. Biscayan style is more homogeneous, passed through a food mill or blended.
- The tomato: authentic Biscayan style does NOT contain tomato (it's a widespread myth). Riojan style may include a little tomato in some versions.
- Cod cooking: in Riojan style, the cod is seared first and then finished in the sauce. In Biscayan style, it is cooked directly in the sauce from the beginning.
How to serve and pair
- Bread: essential for soaking up the sauce. Rustic sourdough bread or Galician baguette.
- Rioja wine: the natural pairing. A Crianza or Reserva Tempranillo has the structure to accompany the intensity of the choricero sauce. If you prefer white, a barrel-fermented Viura.
- Garnish: the dish does not need a garnish, but a simple green salad (lettuce, spring onion) as a fresh counterpoint works well.
Nutritional information
- Calories: 340-390 kcal per serving
- Protein: 26-30 g from the cod
- Fats: 22-26 g from olive oil
- Carbohydrates: 8-12 g from the vegetables
- Vitamin A: high contribution from choricero peppers
Storage and reheating
Riojan-style cod is a dish that is particularly well-suited for family meals and celebrations. It can be prepared in large quantities without losing quality, the presentation in a clay pot is attractive and spectacular, and the combination of the intense red of the choricero sauce with the white of the cod is visually appealing. In La Rioja, it is common to serve it as a star dish for Christmas Eve dinners, Holy Week meals, and weddings.
Riojan-style cod keeps well in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. The choricero pepper sauce even improves the next day, gaining depth and concentration. Reheat over very low heat in a covered casserole for 10 minutes. If the sauce has thickened too much, add a tablespoon of the reserved pepper soaking water. Reheated cod remains just as juicy if the heat is low. This dish also works well prepared in advance for dinners or celebrations: make the sauce the day before, store it in the refrigerator, and cook the cod in the sauce just before serving.
The culture of choricero pepper in La Rioja
The choricero pepper is a sacred ingredient in Riojan cuisine. It is cultivated in the orchards of the Ebro River basin, dried in the sun hung in strings on balconies, and preserved throughout the year for use in dishes such as Riojan-style cod, Riojan-style potatoes, Anguiano beans, and, of course, Riojan chorizo (from which it takes its name). A string of choricero peppers drying in the sun is one of the most iconic images of rural La Rioja. During harvest season (September-October), Riojan towns celebrate pepper festivals and gastronomic competitions where Riojan-style cod always plays a leading role.
Conclusions
- What is Riojan-style cod?: Riojan-style cod is one of the great traditional dishes of La Rioja cuisine.
- The choricero pepper: the soul of the dish: The choricero pepper is a dried (non-spicy) pepper typical of northern Spain, especially La Rioja, the Basque Country, and Navarre.
- Ingredients for 4 people: Open the peppers, remove seeds and stem.
- Tips for a perfect Riojan-style cod: Add broken potatoes (broken by hand) to the sauce before the cod.
- How to serve and pair: Riojan-style cod is a dish that is particularly well-suited for family meals and celebrations.
Frequently asked questions
What are choricero peppers?
They are dried (non-spicy) peppers typical of northern Spain, with a sweet and slightly smoky flavor. They are soaked in hot water for 30 minutes, and the inner pulp is scraped out with a spoon. They are essential in Riojan, Basque, and Navarrese cuisine.
Where to buy choricero peppers?
In markets, grocery stores, and online stores. The prepared pulp is also sold in preserved jars, which is more convenient. Look for Riojan or Basque brands for better quality. It consists of loins of desalinated cod slowly cooked in a sauce made with choricero peppers, onion, garlic, and olive oil.
Can it be made without choricero peppers?
You can substitute them with ñoras (similar flavor) or piquillo peppers + a teaspoon of sweet paprika from La Vera. It won't be authentic Riojan style, but the result will be good. It consists of loins of desalinated cod slowly cooked in a sauce made with choricero peppers, onion, garlic, and olive oil.
What's the difference between Riojan and Biscayan style?
Riojan style has more texture in the sauce and may contain tomato. Biscayan style has a more homogeneous sauce and never contains tomato. Both use choricero pepper. Riojan vs. Biscayan style: the differences These are the two great cod dishes with pepper sauce from northern Spain, but they have important differences: The pepper: Riojan style uses choricero pepper (dried, sweet, smoky).
What cut of cod to use for Riojan style?
The loin with skin is the ideal piece: thick, juicy, and the skin provides gelatin that helps thicken the sauce. The penca also works well. It is cultivated in the orchards of the Ebro River basin, dried in the sun hung in strings on balconies, and preserved throughout the year for use in dishes such as Riojan-style cod, Riojan-style potatoes, Anguiano beans, and, of course, Riojan chorizo (from which it takes its name).
Buy desalinated cod loins for Riojan-style cod at Bacalalo.
