Bacalao Encebollado Canario

Bacalao encebollado is Canarian, an island dish of salt cod tucked beneath far more onion than seems reasonable, with green pepper, tomato, white wine and toasted almond. It isn't sancocho canario, where salt fish is boiled and served with potatoes, sweet potato and mojo. Here the fish cooks in the onion sauce, and those onions are the heart of the dish.

The method that decides it is simple: let the onions collapse without browning. I cover them first so their own moisture softens them, then cook them uncovered over low heat until pale gold and almost spoonable. Rush them over high heat and their edges catch before their centres become sweet. You haven't saved time. You've left the dish half done.

Look for thick, skin-on bacalao salado, salt cod, at a Portuguese, Caribbean or West African grocer. Frozen cod that has already been desalted is perfectly sound; use 850g and skip the soaking, but dry it very well before flouring. If the long, thin-skinned green peppers used in Spain aren't available, use one green bell pepper, slice it finely and allow five extra minutes. It will be less grassy and a little more watery, but the onions will carry it.

Nest the cod skin-side down, spoon the onions over it and keep the sauce at a quiet tremble. Don't stir the fish once it goes in; shake the cazuela gently instead. My Margin beside this recipe says only, "cebolla blanda, nunca tostada," soft onion, never toasted. Siempre sale, si lo sigues, it turns out if you follow it.