This is the dish that my family usually had on Good Fridays in the Philippines when I was a kid growing up. This dish is influenced by the Spanish and Portuguese and is not the same as the dried fish commonly eaten on Good Fridays by some people who mistakenly call it bacalao. This bacalao or codfish is a cold water fish usually caught in the north seas by countries like Canada, Portugal, Alaska, U.S.A., etc., therefore it should not be confused with the local Philippine dried fish. These are imported and are usually packed in salt in small wooden boxes. They were not available to buy in our local market at that time so my mother had to go to Manila just to buy some for this special meal that my father requested for this special day, Good Friday. Since they were not available locally, we only had this dish once a year. That was a very long time ago but they may already be more available now.
Bacalao is available here in the U.S. in the frozen seafood section at larger grocery stores, and also in small wooden boxes and labelled Salted Cod and sometimes it says “Product of Canada”.
The Filipino dish some people also call bacalao is different. It is a broth made from the local dried fish with upo squash. We also had this dish on normal days and was also good.
I only used half of the package of salted cod in this recipe. Start by following the de-salting instruction on the package, which is washing, soaking and washing again until the fish is no longer very salty.
Ingredients:
- Half a pound of salt cod
- 1 large potato peeled and cut in chunks or wedges
- ½ medium onion, minced
- 2 Roma tomatoes diced or minced
- 2 clove garlic minced
- 1 TBS paprika
- ½ cup water
- ½ can garbanzo beans (chickpeas)
- Red bell pepper, sliced lengthwise or a jar of pimentos
- Olive oil for cooking and drizzling
Fry the potato chunks in 2 TBS olive oil or enough to grease the bottom of the skillet. Fry until brown on all sides but not necessarily cooked well. Remove from the pan and set aside. Fry the pieces of paper-towel dried salted cod until brown on both sides. Remove and set aside.
Sauté the garlic in the same oil and skillet until golden and add the onions. Sauté the onions until soft and translucent. Add the tomatoes and sauté until cooked. Add the fish and the rest of the ingredients. Add ½ cup water and simmer covered for a few minutes until the red peppers are cooked and the potatoes are done. Stir occasionally to prevent scorching. Add a little more water if necessary. I don’t think it would need extra salt. On the contrary it may be a little salty.
Tomato sauce can also be used or a can of diced tomatoes (No Salt) drained in lieu of fresh tomatoes.
Drizzle with extra olive oil on your plate serving and eat it with plenty of rice.
Kusina ni Norie 
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