Bacalao al Tiznao Manchego

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Charcoal grill or hearth with an adjustable grate
• •Long metal tongs
• •Wide shallow cazuela, about 28cm
• •Heatproof bowl and small plate
• •Instant-read thermometer, optional

Instructions

1. 1

   Dry the cod

   Pat the desalted cod thoroughly dry and leave it uncovered for 20 minutes while you prepare the fire. Wet cod sticks to the grate and cooks on its surface instead of taking on the clean taste of the embers. Keep the skin attached for roasting because it protects the flesh; it comes away easily afterward.

   Salt cod varies. Cook a thumbnail-sized piece in a small pan for one minute and taste it. If it is still sharply salty, soak the loin in fresh cold water for another two hours in the refrigerator, then dry it again.
2. 2

   Prepare steady embers

   Light a charcoal or untreated hardwood fire and let it burn down for 20 to 25 minutes. The coals should glow red beneath a coat of grey ash, with no tall flames. Set the grate about 10cm above them and leave one cooler side where the onions and garlic can soften without burning through.

   For an indoor version, heat the oven to 230°C. Roast the onions and garlic for 25 minutes, add the tomatoes, and continue for 15 minutes. Finish all three under a very hot broiler for 3 to 5 minutes, turning as needed, until blackened in patches. The char remains, but the wood smoke will be quieter.
3. 3

   Blacken the vegetables

   Set the onion halves and whole garlic head over the cooler embers. Turn every 5 minutes until the onion is tender beneath its blackened outer layers and a garlic clove yields when pressed, about 25 to 35 minutes. Put the tomatoes over the hotter centre for the final 10 to 15 minutes, turning until their skins split, blister and blacken in broad patches. Remove each vegetable when ready and keep every drop of tomato juice.

4. 4

   Flash-roast the peppers

   Wipe the dried peppers clean and place them over the embers one at a time. Turn constantly with tongs for 20 to 30 seconds in all, just until the skins blister, darken and smell sweet. Pull them before they become brittle grey ash. Cover with the warm water, weigh them down with a plate and soak for 10 minutes. Drain without rinsing, reserve 30ml of the soaking water, then remove the stems and seeds and tear the softened peppers into rough 2cm strips.

   Stay beside the fire for this step. The peppers take seconds, not minutes. Their controlled scorch is the taste that decides the dish.
5. 5

   Roast the cod

   Brush the cod with 5ml of the olive oil. Lay it skin-side down over steady medium embers and cook for 5 minutes. Turn carefully and cook the flesh side for another 3 to 5 minutes, until the thickest part is opaque and separates under light pressure. It should reach 63°C at the centre if checked with a thermometer. Rest for 5 minutes, remove the skin and any bones, then separate the flesh into generous 3cm flakes.

6. 6

   Build the tiznao

   Discard the black outer onion skins, but do not rinse the onion. Chop it roughly. Peel and core the tomatoes, keeping their juices, and squeeze the soft garlic cloves from their skins. Put the onion, tomato, garlic and pepper strips in a wide cazuela. Fold in the cod without crushing its flakes, then pour over 65ml olive oil. The ingredients should remain distinct, with small dark flecks from the roasting.

7. 7

   Warm and rest

   Set the cazuela over low heat or at the edge of the fire for 5 minutes, turning the mixture twice with a broad spoon. If it seems genuinely dry, add the reserved 30ml pepper water, no more. Take it off the heat and rest for 20 minutes so the cod drinks in the roasted juices. Taste before adding any salt, then use no more than 2g if needed. Finish with the remaining 5ml olive oil and serve warm or at room temperature with bread. It should glisten, never swim.

Chef Tips

• •Look for whole dried sweet red peppers that are flexible rather than dusty and brittle. If you cannot find pimientos rojos secos, use 40g of whole dried choricero peppers or six ñoras. Ñoras are sweeter and yield shorter pieces, but they are a sound Spanish-larder substitute. Jarred pepper paste will turn the mixture into a sauce, which is precisely what tiznao is not.
• •Use tomatoes that are ripe but still firm enough to survive the grate. Outside their season, drain 500g whole peeled canned plum tomatoes for 30 minutes and blacken them under the broiler. They will be softer and less smoky, so omit the reserved pepper water.
• •If starting with hard salt-packed cod, soak it skin-side up in plenty of cold water for 36 to 48 hours in the refrigerator, changing the water every 8 hours. Thick loins need the longer time. Never desalt fish on the counter.
• •A charcoal or hardwood fire gives the clearest result. A broiler still makes a good tiznao if you blacken the vegetables properly. Do not use treated wood, lighter-fluid-soaked coals or bottled smoke, because the cod carries every harsh taste.
• •Serve this with pan candeal, the close-crumbed wheat bread of Castile-La Mancha, and a young Airén from La Mancha if wine is wanted. Refrigerate leftovers within two hours and eat them within two days, brought back toward room temperature or warmed very gently.

Advance Preparation

• •Desalt hard salt cod 36 to 48 hours ahead in the refrigerator, changing the cold water every 8 hours. Ready-desalted cod removes this step without costing the dish anything.
• •The vegetables can be roasted, peeled and refrigerated with their collected juices up to 6 hours ahead. Roast and flake the cod shortly before assembling so it stays moist.
• •The finished tiznao can rest for several hours in the refrigerator. Bring it out 30 minutes before serving and refresh it with a measured teaspoon of olive oil if the surface looks dry.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 400g)