Remojón
A winter salad from Granada, built from what an Andalusian house usually had to hand in winter: oranges from the orchard, salt cod from the larder and olives. Sweet fruit with salty fish sounds bold and is beautifully balanced. Two details decide it. The oranges are peeled with a knife right down to the flesh, since the white pith is bitter. And the cod is charred over a flame rather than boiled — it gains a faint smokiness that ties everything together.
Your own work in that: 10 min.
- Desalting the cod 1440 min
- Charring the cod 5 min
- Oranges 15 min
- Assembly 10 min
Step by step
0 / 8 doneDesalt the cod for a day
Cover the cod with cold water and keep in the fridge 24 hours, changing the water three times. In a salad the fish is barely cooked, so the desalting must be complete — taste a piece before going on.
Ingredients: 4 pcs oranges · 200 g salt cod · 80 g black olives · 3 pcs spring onions · 2 pcs eggs · 2000 ml water
Char the cod over a flame
Pat the cod dry and char it over a gas flame on a fork, or in a dry pan, 2 minutes a side, until the edges brown. The Andalusian way — charred cod has a faint smokiness.
Ingredients: 4 pcs oranges · 200 g salt cod · 80 g black olives · 3 pcs spring onions · 2 pcs eggs · 2000 ml water
Two minutes a side — the fish turns smoky.Flake the cod
Cool and pull it into flakes with your fingers, removing skin and bones. The flakes should be large and distinct — in remojón the cod is no seasoning but an equal partner. Meanwhile hard-boil the eggs (10 minutes from the boil), cool them in cold water and peel.
Ingredients: 4 pcs oranges · 200 g salt cod · 80 g black olives · 3 pcs spring onions · 2 pcs eggs · 2000 ml water
Peel the oranges with a knife to the flesh
Cut the top and base off each orange, stand it up and cut away the peel from top to bottom with all the white pith, exposing the flesh. The white membrane is bitter and stringy — it matters more in a salad than in juice.
Ingredients: 4 pcs oranges · 200 g salt cod · 80 g black olives · 3 pcs spring onions · 2 pcs eggs · 2000 ml water
Knife right to the flesh — the pith is bitter.Slice the oranges into wheels
Cut the peeled oranges crossways into 7 mm wheels, catching the juice in a bowl. Arrange them overlapping on a flat platter. The juice goes into the dressing.
Ingredients: 4 pcs oranges · 200 g salt cod · 80 g black olives · 3 pcs spring onions · 2 pcs eggs · 2000 ml water
Scatter the cod, olives and onion
Scatter the cod flakes, olives and thinly sliced spring onion over the oranges, then the eggs cut in quarters. Do not toss — remojón is an arranged salad, not a mixed one.
Ingredients: 4 pcs oranges · 200 g salt cod · 80 g black olives · 3 pcs spring onions · 2 pcs eggs · 2000 ml water
Arranged, not tossed — every element visible.Pour over plenty of oil
Mix the oil with the reserved orange juice and paprika and pour it generously over the salad. There should be a lot — in Granada it is wiped from the plate with bread afterwards. Salt very cautiously; the cod is salty.
Ingredients: 80 ml olive oil · ½ tsp sweet paprika · 1 pinch salt
Rest ten minutes
Leave the salad 10 minutes at room temperature for the cod to take up the orange juice. Do not serve it straight from the fridge — cold orange loses its aroma and the oil thickens.
Ingredients: 80 ml olive oil · ½ tsp sweet paprika · 1 pinch salt
Before you start
The oranges must be sweet
The salad lives on the contrast of sweetness and salt. Sour oranges make it sharp and unpleasant. Winter navels or blood oranges are best — taste one before you start.
The version without cod
Remojón without cod — just orange, olives, onion and oil — is also traditional, served alongside meat. With cod it becomes a complete, light dish for a winter evening.
Eat on the day
The oranges release juice and after a few hours the salad is swimming. The cod can be desalted and charred the day before; slice and arrange the oranges just before serving.
