Set up the electric mixer and flake all the fish into the bowl. Bring to the boil, and cook steadily until you can easily pierce the potato with a knife blade. Put it in a small pot covered with cold water. Meanwhile, rinse the potato but leave it whole and unpeeled. Lift it out of the cooking water, and let it drain and cool in a colander. Bring to a boil, set the cover ajar (rest it on a wooden spoon set on the rim of the pan), and cook at a steady bubbling boil for 20 minutes or more, until the cod is easy to flake but still has body and shape. When the baccalà is sufficiently soaked, cut it into small pieces-6 inches or so-and put them in a saucepan or deep skillet with at least an inch of water to cover. Though he has been gone for many years, his masterful touch with this dish remains with me and inspires me every time I make it now, I remember him, with every bite. In our household, my father was the chief cook of baccalà mantecato-it was his one culinary triumph-and that makes it all the more special to me. But despite the expense, or the time and labor in its preparation, baccalà mantecato was the mark of a good cook in Istria, and many would stop in at a particular house not just for the hoilday greetings but also for a taste of the baccalà. These were not fish from our local waters, but a delicacy from Northern Europe, a fish that was brought in to be bartered and exchanged for olive oil and good Mediterranean wine, carefully selected and dearly bought. It is a link to Istria, my native region, where the imminent arrival of Christmas at our house (and everyone else's) was scented by the unmistakable vapors of dried codfish, cooking for hours and hours. It brings lots of complex flavor to anything that it is spread on.īaccalà mantecato is important to our family, though, for more than its addictive savor. It is good as an hors d'oeuvre, an appetizer, or a main course, and great for parties. In addition to the salt cod fritters below, we also used the perinaise sauce as a condiment to serve tin preserved octopus and mackerel pate.This is one of our family's cherished holiday dishes, a creamy, garlicky appetizer spread, full of flavor, that we enjoy on everything-good crusty bread, grilled bread, carckers, crostini, bread sticks, carrot sticks, celery sticks, even spaghetti, gnocchi, risotto. Given Portugal’s location on the Iberian Peninsula, its no surprise that seafood is a big player in many dishes. No Portuguese Grand Prix would be complete without a spread of tapas to start the meal. You can find Chelsea brand salt cod in most Canadian grocery stores, typically in a little blue bag in the fridge (not frozen) seafood section.īefore salt cod (also known as saltfish) can be used it should first be desalinated, so roughly 24 hours before cooking soak your salt cod in cold water, changing the water every few hours. Salted cod is preserved by drying and salting filets of cod fish. While researching Portuguese recipes I was excited to see so much salted cod! As a Newfoundland transplant, the dish salt cod fish n’ brewis has a special place in my heart and is a rarity in my house (since Greg finds it “revolting”…hmm…). Jump to Recipe Print Recipe Crispy Salt Cod Fritters with Perinaise Sauce Soaking the salt cod
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