Bacalao Al Pil Pil appears as a signature dish in 2 Spain cities. See each city's local variant and where to eat it.
Bacalao al pil pil · Bilbao
Bacalao al pil pil is a Bilbao invention: salt cod slow-cooked in olive oil with garlic and dried chili, then emulsified by shaking the pan until the gelatin and oil form a thick yellow sauce that coats each piece.
Bacalao al pil pil traces to mid-19th-century Bilbao, when merchant Simon Gurtubay over-ordered salt cod from Norway in 1836. Forced to sell the surplus, Bilbao kitchens developed the slow-emulsified sauce technique that made the dish a city staple. The pil pil name imitates the bubbling sound of the slow simmer. Casa Rufo, La Despensa de Etxanobe and Mina all run versions; the deep-yellow emulsion is the test, as the gelatin from the cod skin must bind with the oil into a thick sauce without breaking.
Where to eat in Bilbao:
- Casa Rufo
- La Despensa del Etxanobe
- Mina
- Bar Charly
Bacalao al pil pil · San Sebastián
Bacalao al pil pil is salt cod slowly cooked in olive oil with garlic until the gelatin from the skin emulsifies the oil into a creamy pale-yellow sauce, served in the earthenware cazuela it was cooked.
Bacalao al pil pil emerged in the 19th-century Basque cod trade, when Basque sailors brought back salted cod from the Newfoundland banks. The dish was first made in Bilbao around 1836, when a merchant named Gurtubay accidentally over-ordered salt cod during the Carlist Wars. The pil pil emulsion technique (the gentle shaking of the cazuela to bind the cod gelatin with garlic-infused oil) developed in Basque kitchens through the 19th century and remains the canonical preparation for salt cod across the Basque Country. Casa Vergara in San Sebastian's Old Town serves it as a pintxo on bread; Casa Urola and Bodegon Alejandro serve the full plate.
Where to eat in San Sebastián:
- Casa Vergara
- Casa Urola
- Bodegon Alejandro