Salt Cod

My first salt cod preparation. I scooped out most of it, then made eggs in baccala purgatory with the rest. The eggs were tasty but ugly, so no photo of that.


This recipe , olives omitted https://www.seriouseats.com/baccala-alla-napoletana-neapolitan-style-braised-salt-cod-5212995

Might prepare this next https://www.williams-sonoma.com/m/recipe/salt-cod-potato-gratin.amp.html

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brooklyn.

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I did make a brandade yesterday, with the frozen cod fillets and Yukon Gold potatoes. The texture of the fish wasn’t quite right, too tough after a 120F/45 minute sous vide. I usually cook whitefish to 116, so maybe that was the problem. Fines herbes and white pepper for seasoning.

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Ooooo! Those sound very promising!

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Made Brandade

A leek- bacon-potato- salt cod low liquid chowder.

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Uploading: PXL_20230218_191216565.jpg…
Grocery shopping in Brooklyn today!

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@shrinkrap the photo didn’t upload- could you try again?

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Glitchy internet.

Mostly pollock.



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I poached salt cod in water and in olive oil today.
I got several packages of this brand during my last trip to Atlanta for Thanksgiving.

It says it’s from Portugal, so that’s promising!

Soaked about 48 hours with 2 or 3 water changes. Both poached with a bit of thyme, carrot, celery, onion, bay leaf, pepercorn, garlic, parley, and orange peel. The olive oil version was salty but I liked it better.

I will probably use the water poached for “fried” or fritters. I want to do the olive oil one differently. Maybe something with a tomato sauce, maybe romesco.

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Making what I will call Carribean cod fish cakes ( salt fish fritters according to husband from Jamaica).

These have no potato, and varying proportions of flour, egg, and cod.

This story seems closest to mine, but I recently saw a recipe that included plantain that could be interesting.

I’m leaning toward 1 lb salt cod (before soaking), 1 cup flour, 1/4 cup corn meal ( I have not seen this in a recipe, but I like the texture). Struggling with the egg, which seem to range from one to three for a cup of flour, but I like less, maybe one or two for the proportions I’m leaning toward, and wonder about what more egg yolk, or more egg white might be like.

Some include milk!

Then the baking powder. The baking powder seems to range from 1 tsp to 2 Tbs for about 1 cup of flour! Most are a tsp to a cup of flour, so probably closer to that.

(HO says ive already shared that one)

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This one uses baking powder AND yeast, and no egg. I don’t remember egg in my Aunt Helen’s*, but I don’t remember yeast either. Not thaf she would have told me.

I am remembering rounded ones with rough, crunchy edges.

*AKA “whip it”. She used to say “I’ll rip your leg off and whip you with the wet end!”

Another variation; yeast! This could be it! Thesalt fish cakes I grew up with!

Cudos from both Trinbagonians AND Jamaicans!

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Meh. Not anywhere close to spicy enough.

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Put them on some Pikliz.

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MIL says I “cooked up” salt fish, rather than fried. :relaxed:

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These fritters which contain no flour and eggs beaten until ribbon stage look amazing.

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And an immersion Spanish lesson! Perfect. But not my Aunt Helen’s codfish cakes :frowning:. AFIR, no potato. They look good though! It’s usually a Trini or Bajan version that comes closest. Curious about the potato.

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I have a Brazilian friend, shrinkrap, who made Bacalao for a dinner party I was invited to. It is salted cod, potatoes, tomatoes, olives, soft boiled eggs, garlic, etc… all layered and baked to perfection.
But she was rushed in her preparation and did not soak the salt cod enough.
Oh my goodness, was it a salty meal! So we drank more wine.
I have prepared her recipe a time or two myself and I almost want to leave out the salty olives because even if you soak the salted cod over night and drain the water two or three times it is marginally too salty. But the cod, the potatoes, the olives and the eggs make a great meal!

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