dry fish

dried salted fish usually takes at least 24 hours of rehydration in several changes of water before you even begin to cook it.

It's not a speedy type of food.  I'm thinking salt cod here. There are other types such as dried bonito flakes used to make dashi and other types. But Westerners tend to run into salt cod more often than other dried fish in my experience.

Yodah, you're talking about salt fish?

The traditional way is to soak it, with constant changes of water. Normally, depending on the particular fish and amount of saltiness, this is done in from 12 hours to three days.

Could you post a few more details; i.e. the kind of fish you have, and the sorts of things you might want to use it for?

Obvously, our posts crossed, Phil. You're point about salt fish not being a speedy thing cannot be stressed enough.

But Westerners tend to run into salt cod more often than other dried fish in my experience.

I'd certainly have to agree with that. But something to be aware of; much of the baccaloa sold in the U.S. is now haddock, rather than cod. I haven't used it, yet, so don't know if there are any practical differences.

Canadian salt cod is less salty than other kinds, in my experience, and can be soaked for a shorter period as a result.

Yodah, I can't imagine what you can do with salt fish in only 1 1/2 hours. There is no way I know of to remove the saltiness in that short a time. Sorry.

If we assume the fish has been presoaked, then you're good to go.

The fish still has to be cooked. In most applications it's simply poached, then the cooked fish used as an ingredient.

One classic approach is Brandade, a mixture of salt cod and potatoes combined with cream and other ingredients. A step up from there is to convert the brandade mixture into fritters or croquettes, and serve with a sauce. I think going that route would make sense, because it's with the sauce that you can show your creativity.

Cooked salt cod is also commonly used in salads.

Although I have not tried it, there's no reason you couldn't sub the cod for the salmon usually used in dishes like kedgeree, fish cakes, or, indeed, any dish that has cooked fish as an ingredient.