Morue au pil pil basque
Morue salée cuite doucement dans une huile d'olive à l'ail, transformée en une sauce dorée et soyeuse grâce à la gélatine du poisson.
Portions
Ingrédients
Nutrition
Par portion
Étapes
Desalt the cod
Rinse the salt cod, then submerge it in a large bowl of cold water in the fridge for 36–48 hours, changing the water 3–4 times. This draws out the curing salt and softens the flesh.
- 800 g salt cod
✅ C'est prêt quand : a small flaked piece tastes pleasantly savory, not sharply salty
Dry the cod
Lift the cod from the water and pat every piece completely dry with paper towels, inside and out. Dry fish is essential here — any extra water will make the oil spit and stops the sauce from thickening later.
- 800 g desalted cod (from step 1)
✅ C'est prêt quand : the skin and flesh feel dry to the touch, no damp patches left
Infuse the oil
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Cook the cod slowly
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Build the emulsion
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Finish and serve
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Desalt the cod
Rinse the salt cod, then submerge it in a large bowl of cold water in the fridge for 36–48 hours, changing the water 3–4 times. This draws out the curing salt and softens the flesh.
- 800 g salt cod
✅ C'est prêt quand : a small flaked piece tastes pleasantly savory, not sharply salty
Dry the cod
Lift the cod from the water and pat every piece completely dry with paper towels, inside and out. Dry fish is essential here — any extra water will make the oil spit and stops the sauce from thickening later.
- 800 g desalted cod (from step 1)
✅ C'est prêt quand : the skin and flesh feel dry to the touch, no damp patches left
Infuse the oil
This step is part of Foodie Premium. Subscribe to unlock the full method, cooking mode and every recipe in the library.
Cook the cod slowly
This step is part of Foodie Premium. Subscribe to unlock the full method, cooking mode and every recipe in the library.
Build the emulsion
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Finish and serve
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The Story Behind the Dish
Salt cod has been a staple in Basque kitchens for centuries, brought home by fishermen who sailed as far as the North Atlantic for cod and preserved it with salt for the long journey back. Pil-pil sauce is said to have been born in Bilbao, where cooks found that gently shaking a pan of oil, garlic and the cod's own cooking juices could turn them into a thick, golden sauce without a drop of cream or egg.
It became a signature dish of Basque taverns and cod shops, prized as much for the skill of making the sauce as for the fish itself. Today it remains one of the clearest expressions of Basque cooking: a handful of humble ingredients transformed through technique and patience.
⭐ Why It's Famous
It turns just salt cod, garlic and olive oil into a sauce as creamy as mayonnaise, with no eggs, cream or flour — a quiet showcase of technique that Basque cooks are rightly proud of.
💡 Fun Fact
The name pil-pil imitates the soft, bubbling, sloshing sound the oil and cod juices make as the pan is shaken rhythmically to build the sauce.
Basque Country, northern Spain (Bilbao area)
43.26°N, -2.94°W
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