Arroz con bacalao, or rice with salted cod is a delicious one-pot meal popular throughout the Spanish speaking islands, including Panama.
Ingredients
For the arroz con bacalao
- 2 cups rice (preferably short or medium grain rice, for paella or arborio for risotto)
- ½ lb salted cod , chopped
- 2 tablespoons achiote oil or olive oil
- 2 tablespoons capers
- 2 cups recaito (recipe below)
- 1 clove garlic , minced
- 1 pinch saffron
- Salt
- Black pepper
For the Recaito
- 1 green bell pepper , seeded and sliced
- 1 green hot chili pepper , seeded and sliced
- 1 onion , cut into strips
- 5 cloves garlic , peeled
- ½ bunch cilantro
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Pepper
Instructions
Arroz con Bacalao
- Prepare salt cod (see below).
- Infuse the saffron in a a couple tablespoons of boiling water.
- Saute recaito and garlic in achiote oil or olive oil over medium heat for 5 minutes.
- Add cod and capers and continue to cook for 5 minutes.
- Add 4 cups of water and bring to a boil over high heat.
- Reduce heat to simmer and cook for 10 minutes.
- While the mixture is simmering, rinse the rice until the water runs clear.
- Add the rice, stir and reduce heat to medium.
- Cover and cook over low heat for 20 minutes.
Salt cod
- Cut salt cod into blocks and put them in a colander.
- Immerse the colander into a large container filled with water.
- Soak for up to 24 hours, changing the water as often as possible.
Recaito
- Chop all ingredients in a food processor