Probably the hardest part of making bacalhau/bacalao/baccalà is ensuring that every ingredient is cooked just right, which is a matter of careful timing. Some day I will figure out such details and post an update, but until then I will continue overcooking everything. Perfectionism aside, if you put good ingredients into a pot and cook them for a long time, you can't help but end up with someting tasty, although not necessarily beautiful.
The traditional protein ingredient in this stew is clipfish: salted and dried cod. (If you use it, make sure to soak the fish for at a day or two in water, changing it a few times, or even bringing it to a boil once so as to remove most of the salt.) You can use unsalted dried cod - stockfish - as Italians do in their baccalà alla vicentina, but rehydrating it is even harder. (Norwegians generally don't cook their tørfisk, but chew it dry as a snack or feed it to pets.) I have used frozen Alaskan cod successfully.
First, saute the onions in oil until they brown. Then, gradually, add in the rest of the ingredients, making sure that the softer ones, such as bell peppers, are on top. Potatoes tend to take longer to cook, so pre-boiling them is probably a good idea. No additional liquid is necessary as the tomato juice (from fresh tomatoes or from canned ones) will provide plenty of fluid for the stew. Simmer for an hour or so.
- 1kg fish (for 4 servings)
- 6 medium potatoes, diced
- 6 fresh tomatoes (or 2 cans)
- 3 bell peppers, sliced
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 2 large onions, diced
- 2 Tbsp tomato paste (with some sugar to sweeten it)
- cayenne pepper, optionally, for heat
- olive oil