[Sca-cooks] Best types of dried fish

[Phil Troy / G. Tacitus Adamantius]

On May 29, 2008, at 10:16 PM, Dragon wrote:

>>> There is a particular dish of salt cod in olive oil made in  
>>> Portugal that is incredibly good. I don't recall the name of it  
>>> but the softened cod is seasoned and then placed in olive oil, the  
>>> cod is then swirled around gently (NOT mixed with a spoon) for a  
>>> long time until the oil and the fish start to come together in a  
>>> thick sauce of sorts. It is delicious with a good crusty bread.

I read about this someplace, too, and just checked Elisabeth Luard's  
"The Old World Kitchen" and Mark Kurlansky's book on the cod, and  
couldn't find it in either source. I believe A) a good deal of garlic  
is also involved and B) the ideal cut from the salt cod is the head  
and the flesh immediately surrounding it, because apparently what gets  
the emulsion going with the oil is not so much the cod as the extra- 
rich, gelatinous stock you get in cooking the head.

I've never tried this one myself, but I used to make brandade (among  
other things) for a living, and this sounds pretty good to me...

Adamantius




"Most men worry about their own bellies, and other people's souls,  
when we all ought to worry about our own souls, and other people's  
bellies."
			-- Rabbi Israel Salanter