FOOD FOR THOUGHT
Salt fish not hard to make at home

By Wanda A. Adams
Advertiser Food Editor

Three hundred years ago, salted and dried cod was so prized as a lightweight, nonperishable and highly flavored source of protein that it was practically a form of currency in the shipping trade. Now, with the price of salt cod in the grocery store upwards of $13 for a 12-ounce box, it takes a lot of currency to buy it.

So when a chef at the recent Big Island Festival outlined a home method for salting cod — one that yields a tender, moist and not-quite-as-salty alternative — I was very interested.

My thoughts turn to salt cod this time of year because the holidays remind me of my grandmother's kitchen. She made a number of dishes with bacalhao, as Portuguese call salt cod, including a tomato stew and bolinhos (fried croquettes made with onions, parlsey and mashed potatoes). Salt cod has a distinctive and powerful flavor, like canned tuna or anchovies, and lends itself to many of the same uses — in creamy gratins, tossed in vinegar-sparked salads. It's best used with restraint, and gentled by the addition of complementary ingredients.

Salt cod — or baccal‡ — is also an Italian Christmas specialty (with potatoes, onions and a vinaigrette dressing). People from throughout the Caribbean use salt cod, too. The Portuguese are said to have 365 recipes for bacalhao, a year's worth.

Chef Mark Sullivan of the Village Pub, an award-winning restaurant in the small town of Woodside, Calif., south of San Francisco, admitted that the first time he saw salt cod in a deli — resembling a stiff board and emitting an indescribable smell — he couldn't figure out how anyone could eat the stuff. But later he came to love to the distinctive taste and to regard the dried fish as a pantry staple. He makes salt cod in immense batches; the home cook can do a couple of pounds a time.

In his restaurant, salt cod is featured in a French brandade — cod poached in a rich vegetable stock and then folded into a creamy mixture and baked in a shallow gratin dish. He also makes a beet and cod salad.

Sullivan likes to add snipped fennel tops to the salt he uses to cure the cod, lending the fish a hint of anise fragrance. You also can use lemon zest, parsley or an herb such as tarragon.

The technique is very simple, but the work is spread over several days. You need a perforated rack with a pan below to catch the drips, such as a small roasting pan; two pounds of fresh cod in thick fillets (fresh Atlantic cod is hard to get here, but you can try this with any white-meat, firm-fleshed fish; consult a fish shop or grocery fish counter); and a large sack of kosher or Hawaiian salt.

Place a half-inch of salt on the rack; place cod fillets on top and cover with half-inch of salt. Refrigerate three days. Wipe off salt, drain and rinse catch pan and repeat with new salt. Refrigerate 3 days. Wipe off salt, drain and rinse catch pan and repeat with new salt. Refrigerate again for three days. The cod is now cured and should have a pearly appearance and firm texture. Wrap in plastic and then foil, and keep refrigerated for use within a week or so.

To use the cod, you need to extract some of the preserving salt; soak in cool water, refrigerated, for 24 hours, changing water at least twice. Tweeze out bones before using as desired.

Tip: To prevent cod odors from being transferred to other foods place curing cod, pan and all, inside a large, airtight plastic container or a sealed plastic bag.