Kokotxas de bacalao al pil-pil

Kokotxa = Basque; cococha = Castilian Spanish and barbel = English (I  must admit I had never heard this word before). This refers to the whiskerlike sensory organ near the mouth which is only present in some fish, in this case, cod. It is a delicacy and full of gelatine, very good for hair, skin and nails and excellent for our sensory organs! Not always readily available in Salamanca, it was a pleasant surprise to find them in Mercadona, one of the biggest chains of supermarkets in Spain. I have also been told by many friends that you should not buy fish more than 50km from the coast!!! Although kokotxas are delicious, they are rather an unprepossessing part of the fish’s anatomy. Here is the proof:

Kokotxas de bacalao (Cod barbels)

I never know, in weight, how much to ask for at the fishmonger’s, so it’s really guesswork and counting the bits, or fistfuls. In weight, there must have been about 300 grammes.

• kokotxas/barbels
• 3 cloves of garlic, very finely sliced
• extra virgin olive oil
• 3 small chilies
• salt

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  gently fry the garlic until it is golden brown, remove and put aside and let the oil cool down

• sprinkle the barbels with salt
• add to the oil, turn the heat up, but very slightly so that the barbels start releasing the gelatine

• remove the kokotxas and, using a small sieve, make circles touching the base of the pan to let the air in and to make the sauce

• add the chilies and put the kokotxas back in

 

• take the chilies out (make sure you count them to avoid surprises)
• top with the fried garlic

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serve with crusty bread to mop up the sauce, make sure you accompany then with a chilled white wine