Boas Comidas

Glossário Culinário

Salt cod

Ingrediente

Origem
from Portuguese cuisine
Também chamado de
salted cod, salted and dried cod

Salt cod is the most famous salted and dried fish on the Brazilian table, traditionally made from cold-water species and sold in steaks, loins or shredded. With a striking flavor and flesh that opens into flakes, it stars in holidays like Easter and Christmas in Portuguese recipes like Gomes de Sá, à Brás and with cream.

Characteristics

Salting and drying concentrate the flavor and preserve the fish for months: the piece is firm, straw-colored and with a strong salty smell. Before cooking, the cod goes through desalting, soaked in cold water, in the fridge, for about one to two days, changing the water several times, until the salt is just right. Thick steaks suit roasts and boiled dishes; shredded is ideal for fritters, pies and fillings.

Uses in cooking

The Portuguese classics include Gomes de Sá cod, with potatoes, eggs and olives; à Brás cod, with shoestring potatoes and scrambled eggs; and cod with cream, gratinéed and creamy. The fish also appears in fried fritters, salads, pies, oven-baked rice and vatapá, always combined with olive oil, garlic, onion, potato and eggs.

Substitutions

Desalted cod can be swapped between steaks, loin and shredded according to the recipe. For similar dishes at lower cost, white, firm fish like hake, weakfish and dogfish, well seasoned, yield tasty pies and gratins, without the characteristic cured taste. The so-called fresh cod, unsalted, also works, with salt adjustment. There is no identical substitute for the flavor of cured cod.

Fun facts

Tradition says there are hundreds of cod recipes, one for each day of the year, an exaggeration that shows the size of the Luso-Brazilian passion for the ingredient. Practical tip: always desalt in the fridge, never at room temperature, and taste a cooked strand before using to check the salt. The water from the last soak, if still salty, can season the cooking of the potatoes served with the dish.

Salt cod recipes

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