This Spanish cod stew combines fresh cod, chickpeas, spinach, and hard-boiled eggs in a smoky tomato broth. The vegetable base is blended before the fish goes in, giving the stew a smooth broth while keeping the chickpeas and cod in distinct pieces.

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Spanish cod stew with chickpeas and spinach in tomato broth, topped with hard-boiled egg wedges in a white bowl.

Why You'll Love My Spanish Cod Stew

A meal in one pot: Fish, chickpeas, vegetables, and eggs come together without a separate main dish.
A smooth vegetable base: Blending gives the broth body without adding cream.
No dried chickpeas to prepare: Canned chickpeas go straight into the stew after draining and rinsing.
A useful cooking sequence: The vegetables cook first, leaving the delicate cod until the end.

My mother made this stew every week around Easter, and it still brings back memories of family meals during spring in Spain. The chickpeas, spinach, and sliced eggs are part of what makes this particular dish familiar to me. Although I also cook baked cod and Spanish seafood stew, this is the version I associate most closely with those Easter meals.

This is a fish dinner with legumes, rather than a seafood stew built around several kinds of fish and shellfish. If you enjoy that combination of beans and greens, my white bean and kale soup is another option. For a chickpea-based meal without fish, try my creamy lemon chickpea soup.

Cod pieces, chickpeas, spinach, and hard-boiled eggs in a smoky tomato broth.

Key Ingredients in Spanish Cod Stew

You'll find the complete quantities in the recipe card. These are the ingredients that define this version.

Fresh cod: This recipe uses fresh cod, rather than salted cod that needs desalting. It cooks directly in the prepared broth.
Canned chickpeas and spinach: Drain and rinse the chickpeas before adding them. The chickpeas remain whole, while the spinach wilts into the broth.
Sweet and hot smoked paprika: Both contribute smokiness, with the hot variety adding heat. They are cooked briefly before the tomatoes are added.
Vegetables, tomatoes, flour, and fish broth: Onion, red bell pepper, carrots, leek, and garlic form the blended base. Tomatoes add acidity, flour helps thicken it, and fish broth supplies the cooking liquid.
Hard-boiled eggs: Use eggs that are already cooked. Slice them for serving rather than blending them into the broth.

How to Make Spanish Cod Stew

The printable recipe below includes the quantities and individual cooking times. Here is how the main stages fit together.

Four cooking stages: vegetables with paprika and bay leaves, blending the tomato base, adding chickpeas to the spinach broth, and adding cod pieces.

1. Cook the vegetable base. Sauté the onion, then add the pepper, carrots, leek, and garlic in sequence. Briefly stir in the paprikas and bay leaves before cooking the tomatoes and flour.

2. Simmer and blend. Add half the fish broth and simmer. Remove both bay leaves before blending the vegetables until smooth, then return the leaves and add the remaining broth.

3. Add the spinach and chickpeas. Cook the spinach until wilted, then stir in the drained and rinsed chickpeas. Distribute them through the broth before adding the fish.

4. Cook the cod and serve. Add the cod gently and cook over low heat until opaque and flaky. Check the thickest piece for doneness, then serve with sliced hard-boiled eggs.

Flaky cod surrounded by spinach and hard-boiled egg wedges in tomato broth.

Tips for Spanish Cod Stew

Check the pot before blending: Locate and remove both bay leaves first. Return them only after the vegetable base is smooth.
Finish stirring before adding the fish: Mix the spinach and chickpeas through the broth first, so you can leave the cod pieces relatively undisturbed.
Use doneness cues as well as the timer: Check the cod at approximately 8 minutes. Piece thickness affects cooking time, so look for opaque flesh that flakes easily and check the thickest piece with a thermometer.

Storage

Keep leftover stew in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Reheat on the stove over low heat, stirring gently and avoiding a vigorous boil that could break up the fish. Reheat leftovers thoroughly to 165°F (74°C).

What to Serve with Spanish Cod Stew

Serve the stew with homemade ciabatta for dipping into the broth. Marinated tomatoes make a simple accompaniment if you would like something alongside it.