The Esgarraet, is a Tapa from Valencia & more specifically from the “Horta”…
It is the perfect recipe for a traditional starter, simple and authentic…
A powerful & surprising taste emerge from this dish, so easy to do.
“Esgarraet” comes from “esgarradet” (desgarrado in Spanish) & means “disrupted” in Valencian.
This is what happens to the cod & the pepper, in this Tapa… The cod is is widely used in Valencia. Another very famous Tapa throughout the region of Valencia, also with cod, is the “Albóndiga”.
Imprimer la recette
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| Servings | Prep Time | Cook Time | Passive Time |
| 10servings | 20minutes | 30minutes | 2hours |
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Ingredients
- 1kg Red pepper: well-ripped
- 250g Cod: dried and salted
- 5clove Garlic: to cut into fine strips
- 6tbsp Olive oil: P.D.O. from Valencia, or any Mediterranean extra virgin oil
- 1tbsp Salt: or better, flower of salt
Instructions
Prepare well in advance all your ingredients : - Wash & brush the peppers with olive oil.
- Desalt your cod the whole night.
- In the oven : put them in a dish and place them in the oven 30 minutes at 220°.
- In the Plancha/Cooking plate/Pan : if you have time, grill them entirely, it is more annoying but much better.
- Once cooked, let them cool. Little trick : lock them in a simple clean plastic bag, the peppers will peel very easily...
- In a nice dish, of terracotta or other, pour one half-centimetre of olive oil.
- Once cold, peel the pepper, cut them by hand into thin slices & put them in the oil of the dish.
- Cut your cloves of garlic into tiny pieces (do not crush it) & put them everywhere.
- Tear manually the desalted cod into small pieces, there too & mix it with everything.
- Cover the various ingredients with olive oil, so that none end up in the open air.
- And good bread for tasting 🙂
- Let rest a whole night in the fridge for a delicious flavour !
Recipe Notes
Variant of the Esgarraet :
This Tapa doesn't need anything... It is a delight...
But it is not unusual that the cook add some ingredients... It goes very well, for example, with Greek black olives (with no water in it!). But also with :
- Hard-boiled eggs...
- Thin slices of dried tuna...
- Pine nuts...
- ...
A variant of this Tapa is called : the "Espencat", where red peppers are replaced by eggplants. It is less known because a little less tasty, even though this dish also tastes delicious. We often find a mixture of these two dishes :red peppers and eggplants with cod...
Some regions of Spain have adopted this Valencian Tapa, adding tomatoes, onions, grilled vegetables & changing its name to "Esqueixada" or "Escalivada".
Tricks :
I am insisting : to fully enjoy this starter, here is a trick, which applies to many other recipe, but especially for this one: prepare the day before ! And let it rest in the fridge... Well marinated, it is a delight !!!
Some links :
In Valencian, the recipe simply explained : here...
But also : there... in Spanish.
A video :
The Esgarraet recipe comes at the 2:50 minute of the following video :