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Steve manfredi: Salt cod

(smh)
Updated: 2006-07-24 15:15

The french call it morue, the Spaniards know it as bacalao and in Italy it is baccala. In English it is simply called salt cod. The name refers to a large number of species of the cod family that are salted and air-dried to preserve the flesh.

Salt cod has been an important source of protein in Mediterranean countries since the Middle Ages, though the cod was imported from Scandinavia. In times before refrigeration, the dried cod could be transported, stored and rehydrated when needed.

Over the centuries, thousands of dishes have been devised around this cured fish.

Salt cod is good with

Butter; cream; extra virgin olive oil; potato; onion; garlic; shallot; spring onions; leeks; cabbage; tomato; celery; carrot; peas; chilli and capsicum; parsley; tarragon; thyme; oregano; chervil; breadcrumbs; mayonnaise; lemon; polenta; chick peas; eggs; capers; mustard; anchovies.

Cream of salt cod with garlic crostini
Prepare 750g of salt cod by soaking it in cold water for three days, changing the water each day. Drain, remove the dark skin (it should pull off easily) and cut the fish into smaller pieces that will fit into a pot. Cover with water, add a chopped carrot, onion and a celery stick. Bring to the boil, turn down the heat and simmer for 20 minutes until the fish is tender. Drain it, allow it to cool then strip the meat from the bones and set it aside.