Esqueixada — Spain

Esqueixada is a cold salad from Catalonia built around salt cod that is not cooked but shredded by hand into fine flakes, its name coming from the Catalan verb for tearing or shredding. The raw, salt-cured fish gives the dish a firm, slightly chewy texture quite different from cooked cod. It is closely tied to Catalan cuisine and is especially popular in the warmer months, served cold as a starter or light main course. It sits alongside other regional salt cod preparations, but is distinguished by leaving the fish uncooked and letting the dressing and vegetables do the work of seasoning it. The salt cod is soaked in several changes of cold water over one or two days to draw out excess salt, then drained, boned and torn into flakes. These are combined with diced tomato, thinly sliced onion, black olives and sometimes strips of red pepper, then dressed simply with olive oil and red wine vinegar and left to marinate briefly in the refrigerator. Some versions add hard-boiled egg wedges as a garnish, others include roasted peppers or a pinch of sugar to balance the vinegar. The amount of onion, the type of olive used, and how long the salad rests before serving all shift the balance between the salt cod's sharpness and the sweetness of the tomato.