When Chef Isaiah Martinez joined us at the STEELPORT factory for a knife skills demo, he shared a fresh take on salt cod with summer vegetables, Sungold tomatoes, and cucumber. Throughout the demonstration, Chef Isaiah used his STEELPORT 8" Chef knife to walk guests through techniques for preparing salt cod and building layers of flavor while keeping the vegetables bright, crisp, and full of texture.
Below, you'll find the full recipe so you can make it yourself, along with a video of the demo to watch Chef Isaiah prepare the dish step by step.
Ingredients
- 1 pound salt cod, thoroughly rinsed and soaked, then boiled in fresh water 3 times (see note)
- 1/2 onion, finely diced
- 2 garlic cloves, finely diced
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
- 1 sweet pepper, finely diced
- 1 hot pepper, finely diced (adjust to taste)
- 1 zucchini, finely diced
- 1 pint Sungold cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 cucumber, finely diced
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Juice of 2 lemons
- Salt, if needed
Instructions
Prepare the salt cod
If your salt cod hasn't already been prepared, rinse it thoroughly under cold water. Place it in a pot of fresh cold water, bring to a gentle boil, then drain. Repeat this process two more times, using fresh water each time. Once the cod has cooled enough to handle, remove any skin or bones and flake it into small bite-sized pieces.
Cook the vegetables
- Heat a generous drizzle of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until it begins to soften. Stir in the garlic, thyme, sweet pepper, hot pepper, and zucchini.
- Cook for another 4 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are just tender. You're looking for a light sauté with very little browning. The vegetables should still have a bit of bite.
Warm the cod
While the vegetables cook, heat a small drizzle of olive oil in a separate skillet over medium heat. Add the flaked salt cod and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, gently stirring, until warmed through.
Combine
- Add the warm salt cod to the vegetables and gently toss everything together. Cook for another minute or two until evenly combined and heated through.
- Remove from the heat and fold in the Sungold tomatoes and diced cucumber. Finish with the juice of both lemons and another drizzle of good olive oil. Taste and season with salt only if needed, as the cod is often salty enough on its own.
Serve warm or at room temperature with crusty bread.
