Rinse an excess salt off the cod. Then place the cod in a bowl with water and allow it to soak while the peppers are roasting.
Roast the red peppers and eggplants, with their skins on, under the broiler of the oven or over a flame. Turn, as needed, until the outer skin has blackened all over.
Once roasted, peel the peppers and eggplants. Remove the seeds from the red peppers. If the eggplants you are using have any large seeds, remove those too.
Add any juice from the red peppers to a bowl, straining out the seeds.
Using your fingers, make thin slices of peppers and eggplants and add them to the bowl with the liquid from the peppers. To make the thin slices, press your finger into the center of a thick strip of pepper, making a hole. Then pull the pepper open from the hole.
Once the roasted vegetables have been pulled into thin pieces, mix them together.
Break the salted cod into small pieces and add them to the roasted vegetable pieces.
Mince or thinly slice the garlic, and add it to the vegetable mixture.
Drizzle some olive oil over the mixture.
Mix everything together. Taste, and add salt, as needed. (If you are using the salted cod or another salty fish, you may not need to add any salt.)
Either serve immediately or store, covered, in the fridge until you are ready to use it. Making it ahead of time also allows the flavors to meld.
Video
Notes
Serve cold, at room temperature, or slightly warm.Store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.For more detailed instructions on roasting the vegetables, see how to roast red peppers.
Serving suggestions:
Serve alone or over salads. It can also be spread on toast bruschetta-style. Espencat is also delicious when served over pizza dough and baked in the oven.
Variations:
In different regions, this is made in different ways and is given other names (like escalivada, torrat, or esgarraet). It can be made with only red peppers, or can be made with the addition of onions and/or tomato. (Either can be added roasted or raw.)If not choosing to use salted cod, other salty fish can be used in its place. Salt-cured anchovies or tuna fish both work well. You can also omit the salty fish and add salt, to taste, for a vegan version of the dish.