Salt Cod

[Anneke]

We've been trying to develop a salt cod recipe for the restaurant. The owner wants us to keep it in fillet form, preferably pan fried or grilled. So far our efforts have been met with mixed results; the fish often comes out quite tough, and some pieces are still too salty even after 2-3 days of soaking. Because there are thicher pieces mixed in with the thinner tail pieces, my guess is that they don't respond in the same way to our treatment.

So my questions are, what does milk do to salt cod? Is it better than water? When is it appropriate to use it?

And also, how can we make this fish moist? Is braising the only option?

What are your favourite techniques?

TIA

[cape chef]

Anneke,

Soaking salt cod is an inexact art since there is no way to tell how salty your fillet is without tasting it first. I always soak my cod for two/three days depending on the thickness of the fillet. I also change the water 3 times a day. I have not used milk to soak out the salt because of the high amounts of lactic acid that I feel will break down the flesh. If you want to keep it whole for portion sake, thats fine. I would however remove three or so inches from the tail section and make a brandade or something like that. I like to braise salt cod with chic peas, tomatoes, evoo, onions, lemon juice, hot pepper and oregano.Not a big fan of grilled or pan sautéed.

Good luck, and happy to know your back in the kitchen's

[Anneke]

Thanks Cc. I've been back for a while. I haven't posted much about it because I view it as a temporary gig. I have something big coming up in a few weeks. I'll keep you posted.

I agree with you about the cod: I'm not a fan of it grilled or panfried either. I'll see if I can't convince the owner to let us try it your way. Thanks for the tip.

[bigbuns]

Ahhhh, good ole' Cape Cod Turkey! Old New England recipe was to serve on a platter with pork scraps, boiled potatoes and buttered beets, then topped with an egg sauce.

To this day, when I bake haddock, I do it with milk just the way my dad (a one-time Navy cook) taught me. Juicy, melt-in-your mouth!