Spanish Cod Soup with Spinach and Chick-Peas

When I first saw this dish on a Spanish menu in New York, I was disconcerted. I had never really liked chick-peas—the first time I had them was in college, when I boiled them in water in a failed attempt at an economical meal—and combining them with seafood sounded contrived. Despite my skepticism, this soup is delicious, and a little research has revealed that it’s not contrived at all—Spanish and Italian cooks have been combining chick-peas with fish for centuries.

Although cod—ei