Greek Main Courses
Bakaliaros Plaki Recipe (Greek Baked Salt Cod in Tomato Sauce)
Μπακαλιάρος πλακί bah-kah-LYAH-rohs plah-KEE · Bakaliaros plaki
In short
Bakaliaros plaki is desalted salt cod baked directly in a simple tomato, onion, celery and herb sauce, a completely different preparation from the classic fried bakaliaros served with garlicky skordalia. Plaki refers to this specific baking style, a savoury tomato sauce cooked and served in one dish, applied to fish rather than to the frying and dipping-sauce approach of the more familiar version.
Bakaliaros plaki takes salt cod in a genuinely different direction from the fried, skordalia-paired version most people picture first, baking the desalted fish directly in a simple tomato sauce built with onion, celery and herbs rather than frying it in batter and serving a garlic dip on the side.
Plaki, as a cooking term, describes this specific style across several Greek fish dishes, a savoury tomato sauce that the fish bakes and finishes cooking directly within, letting the sauce and fish flavour each other through the full cooking time rather than staying separate components on a plate.
This makes bakaliaros plaki a genuinely good option for Lenten fasting periods when salt cod traditionally appears often, giving real variety alongside the fried version rather than repeating the same treatment.
Key preparation steps
- Desalt the salt cod properly over at least a day.
- Build a tomato sauce with onion and celery.
- Nestle the cod into the sauce.
- Bake until the fish is cooked through and the sauce has thickened.
Desalting the cod
Salt cod needs a genuine soak, at least twenty-four hours, changing the water several times, to draw out enough of the curing salt to make it properly edible. Skipping or shortening this step leaves the finished dish far too salty to enjoy.
The tomato sauce
Cook onion and celery gently in olive oil until soft, then add garlic, tomato, a little white wine and a bay leaf, and simmer for fifteen minutes to build a properly savoury base before the fish goes in.
Baking together
Nestle the desalted, drained cod pieces into the sauce and bake, uncovered, for around thirty minutes, until the fish flakes easily and the sauce has thickened slightly around it, basting occasionally with the sauce to keep the fish moist.
Tips from my kitchen
Do not shortcut the desalting
A full 24 hours, with several changes of water, is genuinely necessary. Skipping this leaves the dish far too salty.
Build the sauce properly before adding the fish
A full fifteen minutes of simmering gives the sauce real depth before the delicate fish goes in, rather than a thin, underdeveloped base.
Baste occasionally while baking
This keeps the fish moist and helps it take on more of the sauce's flavour as it cooks.
Bakaliaros Plaki Recipe (Greek Baked Salt Cod in Tomato Sauce)
Μπακαλιάρος πλακί · by Kalliopi Andreou · updated 2026-07-31
- Prep
- 30m
- Cook
- 40m
- Total
- 1h 10m
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
Ingredients
Method
- Soak the salt cod in several changes of fresh water for at least 24 hours, then drain and pat dry.
- Heat the oven to 190C fan 170C.
- Heat the olive oil in an ovenproof pan and cook the onion and celery for 10 minutes, until soft.
- Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute, then add the tomatoes, wine and bay leaf. Simmer for 15 minutes.
- Nestle the cod pieces into the sauce.
- Transfer to the oven and bake, uncovered, for 25 to 30 minutes, until the fish flakes easily.
- Remove the bay leaf, scatter with parsley, and serve hot from the dish.
Nutrition, per 1 portion
- Calories
- 312
- Protein
- 38 g
- Carbs
- 10 g
- Fat
- 12 g
- Sat fat
- 2 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
These figures are calculated estimates based on the ingredients listed, not laboratory analysis. Actual values vary with brands, cuts and portion size.
Frequently asked questions about Bakaliaros plaki
What is the difference between bakaliaros plaki and the classic fried bakaliaros?
The classic version fries battered salt cod and serves it with garlicky skordalia on the side. Bakaliaros plaki bakes the desalted fish directly in a tomato sauce, a completely different, one-dish preparation.
Can you use fresh cod instead of salt cod?
Yes, though you would skip the desalting step entirely and reduce the baking time slightly, since fresh cod cooks faster and needs no soaking.
Why is bakaliaros plaki associated with Lent?
Salt cod has long been a practical, storable fish for Lenten fasting periods when fresh fish was not always available, and plaki gives a genuine alternative to the fried version within that same tradition.
