This post is dedicated to my Abuela, Cruz, probably my most favorite person in the world.
My grandmother, Wela, as I and all her grandchildren who were unable pronounce Abuela correctly would call her, was a fantastic cook. Her food brought together the whole family on holidays. I don’t say extended family, because to Puerto Ricans there is no such thing as extended family, we are just La Familia.
On Sundays she would invite us over for lunch and one of my favorite meals she would prepare was Gazpacho. Now, I know what your thinking, cold soup right? Wrong! My whole life I had no clue that when people say Gazpacho they are actually referring to a cold soup, I found this out one time when I was at a restaurant super excited when I ordered Gazpacho only to be wildly confused when the waiter brought out a bowl of soup!
Wela’s Gazpacho is actually a refreshing salad dish that can be served on French bread or by itself. It is incredibly easy to make.
Here is what you will need:
- Avacado
- Boneless Salt Cod Fillets
- lettuce
- 1 red union (or white but the red makes it look prettier)
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Vinegar
- Salt and Pepper
- Tomato
First you will need to rinse off the excess salt from the fillets, then soak in cold water over night. You should dump out the cold water at least three times and add new water each time. This will help get rid of all the salt.
If you want you can prep for the next day by dicing the onion and putting it in the fridge in a separate container.
When you are ready to make your Gazpacho take it out of the fridge and dump the water again. Place the Cod Fish in a pot and fill with cold water and bring it to a boil. As soon as it boils drain the Cod Fish and set to the side to cool.
After the fish is cool break the fish apart in flakes, be on the look out for espinas (fishbones)
Add chopped onions, tomato, avacado and oil and vinegar and season with salt and pepper. Don’t go too crazy on the salt, keep in mind that the Cod Fish was already packed in salt.
That’s it! Your done! Put it on French Bread and enjoy!