How do I love thee? My darling, my cabbage, my little … salt cod?
If you grew up with it, you know what I mean. Or maybe you don’t. Actually, for me, it is an acquired adult taste, but now I’m completely hooked, if you’ll pardon the pun.
Dried and salted cod may no longer be a frugal pantry staple, cheap and ubiquitous, but it is still produced and remains popular, both here and abroad. And it’s more available than you think. I’ve found it in 1-pound packages in neighborhood supermarkets. At Italian and Portuguese delis, you can buy it in large fillets or chopped into strips for easier soaking, and in some Latino groceries it is sold from barrels. An old tradition of selling salt cod presoaked for meatless Catholic menus exists in some areas.
Here are a few salt cod delights: French style brandade, Italian baccalà mantecato (whipped with olive oil and herbs), Portuguese pan-fried garlicky salt cod with potatoes, or any of the various Caribbean beignets, croquetas or fritters. This is just for starters. I remember an exchange with a fellow in a Seville tapas bar about his favorite salt cod dishes. It was a very long conversation.
With true Atlantic cod stocks in decline, salt cod these days is often made from more sustainable pollock, haddock and Arctic cod, much of it from Norway and Alaska. Check with your fishmonger
Courtesy of David Tanis, who writes the weekly City Kitchen column, is the author of two cookbooks, “A Platter of Figs and Other Recipes” and “Heart of the Artichoke and Other Kitchen Journeys.” and the New York Times
Phil Franco wrote: Bacala salad is a treat that my grandmother always made on a meatless Christmas Eve. To this day this is a tradition that my wife has carried on.
In Mexico, Bacalao is a very traditional Christmas food. Guess it goes back to the days when the Spaniards had Mexico.
One of the most beatiful Christmas traditions are the Posadas. It's a re-enactment of Mary and Joseph's search for shelter in Bethlehem, with people going door to door asking if there's any room at the inn. It goes on for many days, and is a time of feasting and celebrating with friends and family, always at a different home (inn). Oh, the memories!!!
The most traditional foods are tamales, of course!! But there are also bunuelos, pozoles, chiles rellenos... my mouth is watering as I write! And one of my favorites - Bacalao. Molly already posted a recipe for Bacalao a la Vizcaina. Yum! What a wonderful melange of fish, potatoes and tomatoes - a heavenly dish!
I already have a favorite Bacalao recipe posted, it's Bacalao With Red Peppers. I have a fritter recipe around here somewhere, and I'll try to get around to posting it soon.
The most important thing about Bacalao is to buy a good quality one. My favorites are found in Italian deli's, it comes in a large wooden crate and is sold by the pound. Pricey, but it is definitely worth it!!! Oh, and the soaking. This is not a step to skimp on or try to hurry!
Do you have a favorite brand? There are quite a few Canadian and New England companies that sell cod in a wooden box.
I found this online and thought it looked interesting:
Take desalted cod out of the water and let it rest in a strainer for about 5 minutes.
Place fish in a small skillet making a single layer. Add a pinch of freshly ground black pepper, bay leave and a sprig of parsley. Add olive oil and cover slightly with foil. Bake for about 25 minutes at 350˚F.
Drain fish, discard parsley, bay leave and shred the meat when it is still hot. Set aside.
Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a medium skillet. Sauté onions and garlic for about 2 minutes.
Add shred cod, chopped green onions and chopped parsley. Turn of the heat, add cream cheese and mix well until everything is incorporated. Check salt and pepper and set it aside to chill (use when it’s completely cold).
Make raviolis:
Heat enough oil in a medium saucepan. Prepare a small bowl of water for brushing and sealing the raviolis and place it on your work space.
Put about 2 tsp of cod filling in the middle of a wonton wrapper, making sure to leave plenty of room around the edges. Brush the edges of the wrapper with water and immediately place another wrapper on top and press down on all sides, squeezing out any excess air. Pinch the edges closed with the tines of a fork. Repeat until you run out of filling.
Deep fry the raviolis until golden and crispy flipping over to get the back nice and golden also. Remove to a paper towel lined plate to drain. Serve hot with tapenade sauce.
Wow, those look good! I wish we could get wonton wrappers here, but so far haven't seen them. I might try sneaking some in on my next trip to the States!
I don't know about a brand, just that it's imported from Italy or Portugal. Here, we find it in little bags at a very low price. I've been afraid to try it, as it looks a bit suspect through the clear plastic. But what the heck - I'm gonna give it a go this Christmas!
This is Croatian contribution to the issue:
http://www.food.com/recipe/dalmatian-cooked-stockfish-bakalar-na-lesho-350096
You can also make it "na brodet", and that is with tomato and onion. I prefer "leso" which means cooked.
Important is not to cook cod too long - it will become rubber-like. Also it is advisable to cook potato before, just to boil, to level the cooking time. Potato also can be a little bit overcooked.
This is traditional Christmas Eve meal, esepecially in Dalmatia region, but we eat it during winter. Dried, salted cod is very expensive in Croatia, so it is regarded as a "special food".
My favorite is fanesca, a traditional soup at Easter time in Ecuador. It has a base of peanut, which goes very nicely with the salt cod, and contains 12 grains--one for each of the disciples. Families used to spend a long time preparing the grains for the soup together.
I think it only seems that way because it's on holiday menus. For instance, tamales are a traditional Christmas item in Mexico. But, we make tamales all year long! Menudo is the New Year's Day cure-all, but you can find it all year long too. I'm not sure about other countries.
I love salt cod---I make all sorts of varieties of brandade--I just found this thread (I don't always read my mail in a timely fashion)--I have a salt cod cookbook even -- I'll come back and post links.
Molly53
Phil Franco
Jostlori
nitko
Tatooinedweller
conniecooks
Chef Kate
Mia #3
Hi... I have well over 100 of cod recipes at home, I just havent gotten around to posting them all. But I'll try and do that sometime next week
