This is the most popular salad in Puerto Rico - salted cod mixed with avocado, tomatoes, eggs and anything else you may want to add. No greens needed but you won't miss them. If you have some breadfruit or ñame at home, this is the time to bring it out and put it right next to this delicious salad!
Ingredients:
1 lb salted dry cod (boneless)
1 tomato, diced
1 medium onion, diced
1 avocado, cut in chunks
2 hard boiled eggs
¼ cup olive oil
2 tbs vinegar(optional)
We are going to start with preparing the cod, which takes the longest in this recipe. Start with a large pot filled with water halfway. Turn on the stove to medium high and add your eggs to the water. Once the water comes to a boil then add the cod to the water and boil for 10 minutes.
While the cod is boiling, we are going to prepare the rest of the ingredients. We will start with the avocado, open your avocado in half. If there are any parts that look brownish or discolored, leave those to the side, chop the rest of the avocado in large chunks. I am suggesting larger chunks so it doesn’t get lost with the other ingredients, but you can choose to cut it in smaller pieces if you like. I like to use a spoon to separate the skin and the flesh. Place all of the pieces in a clean bowl.
Next we will cut the tomato, again, I am doing large chunks here but if you decide to cut the avocado smaller, then follow the same with the tomato. It is nice that all the vegetables are about the same size. Add the chunks to the same bowl with the avocado.
Finally, we are going to cut the onion. I am using a medium yellow onion. You can use white onion or even purple onion if you prefer. Remove the outer skin from the onion and then cut in quarters and slice finely. Add the slices to the same bowl with the tomato and avocado.
After the cod has been boiling for 10 minutes, drain the water from the pot and remove the cod and eggs from the pot. Then rinse the pot and fill it with clean cold water and place the cod pieces in there. Let the cod sit in the water for 10 minutes and then repeat this process - drain the water out and place the cod in clean cold water for another 10 minutes. Taste the cod every time you drain it until it reaches your desired salt level. It took us three times for this cod, but every piece is different.
Once it reaches your desired saltiness, then shred the cod with your hands. This process serves two purposes, first we want to cut the cod into smaller pieces and we also want to go through the cod to remove any bones. Although the cod is supposed to be boneless, I have found some bones in some pieces and it is better to remove it now than after you take a bite.
Your eggs have probably cooled down by now so go ahead and tap the first egg against a hard surface and peel away the shell. Repeat this process with your second egg. Make sure that there are no pieces of shell left and then chop your eggs into chunks and it to the bowl with the tomato, onion and avocado.
With all the ingredients prepped, all you have to do is mix them. Add the tomato, onion, avocado and eggs to the cod, then add the olive oil and vinegar - as I mentioned the vinegar is optional. Then mix all of the ingredients thoroughly. Be careful when mixing that you don’t break up the avocado or tomatoes.
Then, cover the salad with plastic wrap and put it in the fridge for about 45 minutes. This will allow all of the flavors to meld together.
After the 45 minutes, take it out of the fridge and enjoy!
Check out our instructional video, showing how to make this recipe step-by-step HERE.