Kokotxas
The small gelatinous chin pockets of hake or cod. A Basque specialty, cooked in pil-pil emulsion or briefly in garlic and oil.
Kokotxas are the small triangular pockets of flesh under the chin of a hake (merluza) or cod (bacalao). The cut is rich in gelatin, which is what makes it special: cooked gently in olive oil, the gelatin leaches out and emulsifies the oil into a glossy pil-pil sauce, sometimes without any other thickener at all. Hake kokotxas (kokotxas de merluza) are the most prized, often white and silky; salt cod kokotxas (kokotxas de bacalao) are firmer and saltier. The cut is small, the prep is delicate, and good kokotxas are a marker of a serious Basque kitchen.
How it's served
In a small earthenware casserole with garlic, olive oil, sometimes a green sauce (salsa verde) of parsley and white wine, or cooked into a pil-pil emulsion. Served sizzling, eaten with bread to soak up the sauce. A starter rather than a main.
Regional variation
Hake kokotxas (kokotxas de merluza) are the everyday version, white and silky. Salt cod kokotxas (kokotxas de bacalao) are firmer, more intense and often more expensive, especially when made from Icelandic salt cod. Both styles are common in San Sebastián and Bilbao; outside the Basque Country the dish is rare.
- Origin
- Basque Country
- Etymology
- Basque word for the chin of a fish.
Where to try it in Barcelona
One restaurant on Guidavera mentions kokotxas in their kitchen description.
Frequently asked
What are kokotxas?
The small triangular pockets of flesh under the chin of a hake or cod, rich in gelatin and a Basque culinary specialty. Cooked gently in olive oil with garlic, often in a pil-pil emulsion that the kokotxas' own gelatin creates. A serious Basque kitchen marker.
What's the difference between hake and cod kokotxas?
Hake kokotxas (kokotxas de merluza) are white, silky, more delicate; salt cod kokotxas (kokotxas de bacalao) are firmer, more intense and often more expensive. Both belong to the same Basque tradition; both are best in a pil-pil sauce that uses their own gelatin to thicken the oil.
Where can you find kokotxas in Barcelona?
On the menu of any serious Basque restaurant. The dish is unusual outside the Basque Country, but Barcelona has enough Basque chefs that high-end seafood restaurants and pintxo bars in El Born and Gràcia often include kokotxas (usually de merluza) on the menu.
Related terms
- Al pil-pilBasque emulsion technique where salt cod and olive oil are swirled together off-heat until the gelatin from the fish thickens the oil into a glossy yellow sauce.
- BacallàSalt-cured Atlantic cod. The backbone of Catalan, Basque and inland-Spanish cooking for centuries; soaked in water before use, then prepared a hundred different ways.
- PintxoBasque equivalent of a tapa: a single bite, often skewered with a toothpick onto a slice of bread, displayed on the bar for self-service.