Reading “Cod”

[FL shaver]

I am reading Mark Kurlansky’s “Cod: A Biography of the Fish That Changed the World.” Salt cod has interested me since my family and I started visiting the Iberian peninsula several years ago. I have enjoyed fresh cod on many occasions, but I have never prepared a salt cod dish. So I had two pounds of salt cod FedExed to my house. It was wrapped in paper and placed in a plastic bag and a FedEx shipping bag, and delivered in 80 degree Florida heat! I guess salting and drying really does preserve the fish well!

It’s soaking now. I plan to change the water a couple more times tomorrow, then make pastéis de bacalhau New Year’s Eve. Has anybody used salt cod?!

 

[Ad Astra]

Kurlansky is an excellent writer. After Cod, read Salt or any of his others...

To answer the question : family is from South Florida, and baccalao is a great cultural dish. It's that same salted Cod, used to come in a wooden box. Washed repeatedly and cooked with tomatoes, peppers and onions.... It's delicious. Baccalao a la vizcaina.

I need to get some off Amazon one of these days! Enjoy the book and the meals!


AA

 

[Multum in parvo]

The Vikings brought it via Portugal into the Mediterranean and then it went via Sicily up to the north as far as Slovenia and even the Tyrolian Alps.

The weirdest dish that I know is genuine mountain fare Stockfischgröstel (pan seared with potatoes)

 

[ackvil]

Italians consume a lot of salted cod or baccala as it is called in Italian. It was a staple for one of the fish dishes served on Christmas Eve. My mother usually prepared it in a light tomato sauce with calamata olives. She also fried it.

As a kid I got a big kick out of this fish. When dried it is as stiff as a board. My mother would soak it in cold water for at least two days to remove the salt.

 

[Toothpick]

Can you eat it as is? Salted that is. Or do you have to prepare it like fresh fish still?

 

[DrStrange]

Can you eat it as is? Salted that is. Or do you have to prepare it like fresh fish still?

It's not exactly the same thing as jerky,
because it's not flavored and you can bring it back to being cookable fish,
but nobody eats it as it.
I don't even think a cat would.

 

[Toothpick]

Ha! Ok. I’ve got no experience with it. Just in a McDonalds sandwich.

 

[SharpieB]

My family is from Newfoundland, Canada and they eat salt cod all the time. I like it, but only once in a while.

Fish and brewis is a Newfie staple. Not my favourite, but popular with the traditional folk...

Fish and Brewis Recipe - Food.com

This is my Favorite Traditional Newfoundland meal. The ingredients may be hard to find unless you have a "Newfie Shop" close by but if you can find th

www.food.com

 

[Multum in parvo]

In Slovenia and Croatia you will get a delicious spread named Bakalar

+) cook/steam the reconstituted cod (half a pound) until tender and let it cool down
+) shred and mix it with 5 tablespoons Virgin olive oil, minced garlic, salt & pepper until you have a smooth paste

Serve with white bread and green olives as a starter

 

[Old Hippie]

I read "Salt" a few years ago. Good read. I noted from the "other books by..." page that he'd written "Cod." At the time I made the joke that he needed to write another book -- or reprint those two in the same cover -- and call it "Salt Cod."

Sometimes my humour is a bit obvious.

Fish-n-Brewis with Hard Bread and a glass of Screech will get you through an evening, for sure.

O.H.

 

[FL shaver]

Thanks for the feedback! These 2# are dedicated to bolhinos de bacalhau. Plenty of recipes to try next time. That fish spread looks great.

Hard to tell for sure, but it looks as though the soaking is going well….

 

[FL shaver]

Turned out pretty good for the first go!

 

[rockviper]

I'm a Newfie. Salt cod (or as we called it, salt fish) was a staple of our diet when I was growing up.

 

[Ad Astra]

Turned out pretty good for the first go!

Frituras de baccalao! Looks delicious to me!

Now I want some cod. May have to pay shipping, Azon does not look like the place to go...

AA