Zurrukutuna: traditional Basque recipe
There are dishes whose name already conveys tradition, slow cooking, and recipes passed down from generation to generation. Zurrukutuna is one of them. This Basque garlic and cod soup originated as a humble recipe for using leftovers, capable of transforming a few simple ingredients into a deeply comforting dish.
Dry bread, garlic, paprika, and cod create a thick, flavorful soup with a very characteristic creamy texture. A perfect recipe for cold days, but also for enjoying that unhurried cooking that shows that often the simplest things work best.
Duration: 45 minutes
Serves: 4 people
Difficulty: Easy
Utensils used: Vitrinor Vital forged steel saucepan
You will need:
- 100 g dry bread, sliced
- 150 g desalted cod
- 6 or 7 cloves of garlic
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tablespoon La Vera paprika
- Dried chili pepper
- Water or fish stock
- Extra virgin olive oil
- 1 egg per person
How to make it
Almost any bread works for this stew. It’s a recipe for using leftovers, so there’s no need to be too picky. Use leftover bread, and if you’ve sliced it and let it dry for a couple of days, even better.
Slice the garlic into similar thickness so they brown evenly. Place a small saucepan over the heat (we used a Vital forged steel one, perfect for maintaining a medium temperature for a long time with low energy consumption). Add plenty of oil, enough to later fry the bread, and add the garlic to brown slowly. Add the bay leaf too; it will contribute its aroma from the start.
When the garlic is golden, remove and set aside. Now it’s time to fry the bread without burning it. Slowly. When the bread is done, move it away from the center of the saucepan, lower the heat, and add the paprika – but don’t let it burn! It’s best to have the water or fish stock ready and add it immediately.
You now have the base for a good garlic soup. Now add the chili pepper if you want a spicy kick and let it simmer slowly, over low heat and with the saucepan covered, for about 20 to 30 minutes. During this time, the starch from the bread rehydrates and gelatinizes, creating that creamy and unctuous texture so characteristic of garlic soup.
After that time, remove the chili pepper and add the cod. We like to cook it just enough so that it retains its fibrous and juicy texture. If the cod is well desalted and you have used fish stock, you will probably have a perfect salt level. If you have used water, taste before serving and adjust if necessary.
Finally, lower the heat, add the eggs, and let the whites cook gently. There are versions where the egg is mixed with the soup, but we like to serve it whole so that each diner can break the yolk on their plate.
If you want a soup with more intensity, you can add a little ñora pepper paste alongside the paprika. Even so, this recipe, with just the paprika, maintains a simple, delicate, and very authentic flavor balance.
Tips for a perfect zurrukutuna
- Use stale or slightly hard bread for better texture.
- Fish stock adds more flavor depth than water.
- Always cook over low heat to prevent the paprika from becoming bitter.
- Adding the cod at the end helps maintain a juicier and more pleasant texture.
