The dish to eat in Pamplona · Spain

Pimientos del piquillo rellenos

Name: Piquillo peppers stuffed with salt cod
Yield: 4 (12 peppers)
Cuisine: Spain
Ingredients: 1 jar (about 10 oz / 290 g) whole piquillo peppers (about 15 peppers), drained, juices kept; 10 oz (280 g) salt cod, desalted 24 to 48 hours in cold water changed 3 times a day (or 10 oz fresh cod); 4 tbsp olive oil, divided; 1 small onion, finely chopped; 2 garlic cloves, minced; 3 tbsp (40 g) butter and 1/3 cup (40 g) flour; 1 1/2 cups (360 ml) whole milk, warm; Salt, white pepper and a little nutmeg; For the sauce: 3 piquillo peppers, 1/2 cup (120 ml) heavy cream, 1/4 cup (60 ml) fish stock or water, the reserved pepper juices, salt

Pimientos del piquillo rellenos in Pamplona

Photo: Tamorlan, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons · source

Sweet, wood-roasted Navarra peppers stuffed with salt cod and bathed in a creamy pepper sauce.

Navarra's red piquillo peppers, roasted over wood and peeled by hand in Lodosa, are the region's pride, and in Pamplona they come stuffed with creamy cod.

Where to eat it Cook it at home

Where to eat it: the best three in Pamplona

Restaurante Europa
Calle Espoz y Mina, by Plaza del Castillo
Order: The Navarra classics: piquillos, menestra and local lamb
A family restaurant with a Michelin star, cooking the region's produce with care.
Open in Maps
Casa Otaño
Calle San Nicolás, Casco Viejo
Order: Piquillos and the Navarran stews
A traditional dining room in the heart of the old town, run since 1929.
Open in Maps
Bar Gaucho
Travesía Espoz y Mina, Casco Viejo
Order: The award-winning pintxos at the bar
Pamplona's most famous pintxo bar, for bite-size versions of the region's flavors.
Open in Maps

All three are on Chef Amazing’s list The best pimientos del piquillo rellenos in Pamplona, which you can save and take with you.

Cook it at home: Piquillo peppers stuffed with salt cod

Serves 4 (12 peppers)Time 1 hr, plus 1 to 2 days desalting

Use whole jarred piquillos from Navarra (Lodosa DOP). The cod filling is a béchamel thickened with fish; the sauce is made from a few of the peppers blended with cream.

Pans and tools

Large bowl for soaking
Skillet and saucepan
Piping bag or small spoon
Blender
Baking dish

You’ll need

1 jar (about 10 oz / 290 g) whole piquillo peppers (about 15 peppers), drained, juices kept
10 oz (280 g) salt cod, desalted 24 to 48 hours in cold water changed 3 times a day (or 10 oz fresh cod)
4 tbsp olive oil, divided
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 tbsp (40 g) butter and 1/3 cup (40 g) flour
1 1/2 cups (360 ml) whole milk, warm
Salt, white pepper and a little nutmeg
For the sauce: 3 piquillo peppers, 1/2 cup (120 ml) heavy cream, 1/4 cup (60 ml) fish stock or water, the reserved pepper juices, salt

Steps

Poach the desalted cod in water just under a simmer for 5 minutes, until it flakes. Drain, cool, and flake finely, removing skin and bones.
Heat 2 tbsp oil in a pan over medium-low heat. Cook the onion 10 minutes until very soft. Add the garlic for 1 minute, then the cod, and cook 2 minutes.
In a saucepan, melt the butter, add the flour and stir 2 minutes. Whisk in the warm milk gradually and cook 5 minutes, whisking, until very thick. Stir in the cod mixture. Season with white pepper and nutmeg; taste before adding salt. Cool until firm enough to pipe.
Set aside 3 of the least perfect peppers for the sauce. Fill the remaining 12 through the top opening with the cod mixture, using a piping bag or a small spoon, until plump.
Make the sauce: blend the 3 peppers with the cream, stock and pepper juices until smooth. Simmer 5 minutes in a saucepan and season.
Heat the oven to 375F (190C). Spoon a little sauce into a baking dish, lay the stuffed peppers on top, and drizzle with the remaining 2 tbsp olive oil.
Bake 12 to 15 minutes, until hot through. Serve with the warm sauce spooned around.

Chef’s tips

For a lighter version, skip the sauce and serve the peppers with a drizzle of good olive oil.

They can be filled a day ahead and baked when needed.

Piquillo peppers are wonderful on their own, warmed in olive oil with sliced garlic.

Contains: Fish, wheat, milk.

Save to my recipes