Easy
Christmas Noche Buena
Bacalao a la Croata - Croatian Christmas Salt Cod
Croatia's elegant Christmas Eve tradition - tender salt cod with potatoes, garlic, and olive oil. This simple yet refined dish represents Croatian coastal heritage and the meatless Badnjak feast tradition.
2215
Total Minutes
8
Servings
Gluten-Free
Cooking Times
2175 min
Prep Time
40 min
Cook Time
2215 min
Total Time
Ingredients (10 items)
2.50 lbs
Salt cod
boneless
3.00 lbs
Potatoes
waxy variety
1.50 cups
Extra virgin olive oil
best quality
8.00 cloves
Garlic
thinly sliced
1.00 cup
Fresh parsley
chopped
0.25 cup
Lemon juice
fresh
1.00 cup
White wine
dry
2.00
Bay leaves
1.00 tsp
Black pepper
freshly ground
1.00 lb
Swiss chard
optional, traditional
Instructions (8 steps)
1
Soak salt cod in cold water for 36 hours, changing water 4-5 times.
2160 minutes
2
Boil potatoes in skins until tender. Cool, peel, and slice thick.
25 minutes
3
Poach desalted cod in water with bay leaves for 15 minutes.
15 minutes
4
Drain cod, break into large flakes. Remove any bones.
5
Heat olive oil gently, add garlic. Cook until fragrant, not browned.
3 minutes
6
Layer potatoes and cod in serving dish. Pour garlic oil over.
7
Add wine, lemon juice, parsley, and pepper. Toss gently.
8
Serve warm or room temperature with crusty bread and white wine.