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Fish, South and mountains

Cod pil pil with potatoes

Cod pil pil is a confited fish dish for 4 people, ready in 50 minutes, medium difficulty, for €5.20 per serving. The pil pil sauce comes from the cod's own gelatin emulsified with olive oil and garlic, no cream or egg yolk involved. The key is keeping the heat very low while the fish cooks, then swirling the pan in circles to bind the sauce.

Tonight, cod pil pil, a Basque sauce made of nothing but oil, garlic and fish juices, whisked together by hand.

Cod pil pil with potatoes
Total time
50 min
Difficulty
Medium
Cost per person
€5.20
Calories per person
500 kcalcalculated by Kiloach, your weight coach
Season
Winter, Fall, Spring

Cod pil pil comes from the Basque Country, and the sauce is a small kitchen miracle. No cream, no flour, just olive oil, garlic and the juices the cod releases as it gently confits. The result is a pale, clingy sauce with a bold garlic edge and a hint of chile, while the fish stays tender because it never actually boils.

This is a dinner for when you have a little time on your hands, not a rushed weeknight. The cooking asks for patience and attention more than complicated technique, which makes it a good pick for a Sunday or for having people over without stress. Mon Chou suggests it as a change from breaded fish, with steamed potatoes to soak up the sauce.

The ingredients

4 people

Fish counter

  • Salt cod, desalted 800 g

Pantry

  • Mild olive oiloften in the pantry 20 cl
  • Dried chile pepperoften in the pantry 1
  • Saltoften in the pantry 1 pinch
  • Pepperoften in the pantry 1 pinch

Fruits and vegetables

  • Garlic 6 cloves
  • Potatoes 800 g
  • Parsley 1 sprigs

Allergens Fish

The step by step recipe

  1. Cook the peeled potatoes in salted water. 25 min

    They will be served on the side, keep them warm under a towel.

  2. Gently heat the oil with the sliced garlic and the chile pepper, remove the garlic once golden and set it aside. 8 min

    The oil should never smoke, it should just barely simmer.

  3. Place the cod pieces skin side down in the warm oil and let them confit over very low heat. 15 min

    Keep the temperature low, the gelatin from the cod needs to release to bind the sauce.

  4. Remove the cod, let the oil cool slightly, then swirl the pan in circles to emulsify the sauce. 8 min

    If the sauce does not come together, add a spoonful of the potato cooking water and keep swirling.

  5. Return the cod and garlic to the sauce, sprinkle with parsley and serve with the potatoes.

    Spoon the sauce over the cod right before serving, it firms up quickly as it cools.

Our tips to get it right

  • Make sure the salt cod is fully desalted before cooking, otherwise the finished sauce will taste too salty and there is no fixing it afterward.
  • Pick a mild olive oil rather than a fruity one, so it does not compete with the garlic and fish flavors.
  • If the sauce breaks despite the circular swirling, pull the pan off the heat and keep swirling away from the burner, that often brings it back together.

The variations

  • Swap the salt cod for fresh cod if you are short on time, the result will be closer to a simple confited fish than a true pil pil, but it comes together faster.
  • For a milder version kids will eat, skip the chile and cut the garlic down to 3 cloves.
  • Spoon the pil pil sauce over steamed vegetables like zucchini or leeks if you want to go lighter on the potatoes.

What to serve it with

  • Steamed potatoes
  • A glass of dry white wine
  • A simple green salad

Storage

Keep the cod and its sauce in the fridge in a sealed container for up to 2 days. Pil pil sauce does not freeze well, it tends to split. Reheat very gently in a pan over low heat, never letting it boil, so the emulsion does not break.

Questions about this dish

Why won't my pil pil sauce thicken?

This usually happens when the oil was too hot or too cold when you started swirling. Add a spoonful of potato cooking water and keep swirling the pan in circles, that usually helps the sauce come together.

Can you make cod pil pil ahead of time?

You can desalt the cod and peel the potatoes the day before, but the pil pil sauce should always be made at the last minute. It firms up as it cools and does not reheat particularly well.

Can you use fresh cod instead of salt cod?

Yes, but fresh fish releases less gelatin, so the sauce will be thinner than with salt cod. The dish still works, it is just a lighter version of pil pil.

What kind of chile should you use for this recipe?

A plain dried chile pepper is enough to flavor the oil without adding too much heat. Remove it before serving if you want a milder sauce.

How long does it take to make a cod pil pil with potatoes?

Count 50 min in total, prep and cooking included. The recipe is rated “medium”.

How many calories are in a cod pil pil with potatoes?

About 500 kcal per serving, for a recipe meant for 4 people. Calories are calculated by Kiloach, your weight coach, the app that partners with Mon Chou.

How much does a cod pil pil with potatoes cost?

About €5.20 per serving, or €20.80 for 4 people, based on average supermarket prices.

What allergens does this recipe contain?

This recipe contains fish. Always check the labels of the products you buy.

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