Blog del Instituto Cervantes de Londres

Originally from Cáceres, Spanish chef, José Pizarro, has now lived in London since 2000 and is often described as the Godfather of Spanish cooking in the UK. In 2011, Londoners were delighted when José opened his first solo venture, José Tapas Bar on Bermondsey Street, and has since gone on to open two further restaurants in the Capital: Pizarro, just a few yards from José Tapas, and José Pizarro at Broadgate Circle.

José’s talents don’t end there though – his first three books, Seasonal Spanish Food(Kyle Books, 2009), Spanish Flavours (Kyle Books, 2012) and Basque (Hardie Grant, 2016) launched to great critical acclaim.

His latest work, Catalonia, has been published in October 2017 and it was launched at the Embassy of Spain in London. It is a marvellous journey showing off the amazing food of this region. It’s a feast for the eyes as well as the senses!

Bacallà a la llauna,  spinach & piquillo peppers

Serves 6

1.2 kg (2 lb 10 oz) chunky cod loin, skin on

750 g (1 lb 10 oz/2½ cups) coarse

sea salt

2–3 tablespoons plain (all-purpose) flour

250 ml (8½ fl oz) light olive oil

4 garlic cloves, finely sliced

2 teaspoons pimentón

50 ml (2 fl oz) sherry vinegar

3 piquillo peppers, drained, opened out and halved

1 tablespoon olive oil

120 g (4 oz) raisins

3 tablespoons pine nuts

500 g (1 lb 2 oz) baby spinach

Put the cod in a plastic container, cover completely with the salt and set aside for 20–30 minutes. Rinse and dry then cut into 6 pieces and dust all over with flour.

Preheat the oven to 180°c (350°f/Gas 4).

Heat the light olive oil in an ovenproof pan – not too hot – and add the fish. Cook on the hob for 5 minutes, turning halfway through, until lightly golden. Remove with a slotted spoon onto a plate lined with kitchen paper.

Add the garlic to the oil and fry gently for a minute. Add the pimentón and vinegar. Return the fish to the pan and lay the piquillo peppers on top. Put in the oven for 5–6 minutes until the fish is just cooked (when it is just opaque and a thin knife inserts without resistance).

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a pan and fry the raisins and pine nuts until the pine nuts are starting to turn golden. Add the spinach and quickly sauté until just starting to wilt. Divide between six warmed plates, top each with a piece of fish and pepper and spoon over the sauce. Serve with bread.