Cod with samfaina

Today I bring you one of the most traditional dishes of Catalan cuisine: cod with samfaina . We can prepare this recipe when the garden gives us the best vegetables, so during the summer and early fall we can enjoy this recipe.

Samfaina is a typical Catalan sauce, cousin-sister of ratatouille, that we can accompany with anything : eggs, meat, fish, snails... we can even eat it alone by dipping bread. Either way it is delicious.

Samfaina is made from vegetables cut small, so I recommend using a good knife (one for vegetables and one for all types of uses ) or, if you intend to make a large quantity, use a mandoline . To take care of your knives and keep them in perfect condition for a long time, it is very important that you use a cutting board. In the store you have different types, so I recommend that you get one, if you don't already have it (I love the bamboo ones , for their properties when it comes to maintaining the sharpness of the knives but also for its antibacterial qualities).

And one last tip... prepare more samfaina than you need. You can freeze it in individual servings. Doing so will surely get you out of more than one trouble!

Le Creuset Santoku knife , Masterclass round wooden board and Le Creuset low saucepan cocotte

Ingredients

• 800g cod loin
• 2 zucchini
• 1 eggplant
• 1 red onion
• 1 red pepper
• 500g of tomato
• 2 tablespoons tomato concentrate
• Olive oil
• Salt
• 1 teaspoon of La Vera paprika
• Flour

Elaboration

1. For this recipe we need desalted cod. To desalt it, cut the loins into 1-serving pieces (I cut each loin into 3 pieces), rinse them under the tap and put them in a bowl. Cover them with water and put them in the refrigerator. Leave them for 3 days with the same water. After time, change the water for 3 days in a row. It is very important that you carry out the entire process cold. The day you are going to cook it, drain it very well and dry it with kitchen paper to remove excess water.
2. To prepare the samfaina, cut the onions into strips. Wash the red pepper, eggplant and zucchini and cut them into 2cm cubes (this is where a mandoline like the Ultra is of great help).
3. In a low cocotte , add a splash of olive oil and sauté the pepper and onion with a pinch of salt for 5 minutes over medium heat. After time, add the zucchini and eggplant. Also add the grated tomato and the tomato concentrate and the Vera paprika. Let it cook covered over low heat for an hour.
4. Meanwhile, flour the cod pieces and fry them in plenty of olive oil. Frying must be quick, since if we overdo it, the cod will be dry and chewy. Reserve the cod pieces until you have the samfaina ready.
5. When you have the samfaina finished, season it with salt and add the cod pieces. Let the whole thing cook for 5 minutes.

Ready to serve, Bon appetit!