BACALHAU A PORTUGUESA

4.2 ounce can

Servings: 1

389 calories    Calories from fat 193

 

 

In my childhood my parents often prepared dishes featuring cod fish. In those days long gone by, the fisherman would hand process their daily catch and preserve the fish in salt. It was way too early for the smaller fishing boats to feature refrigerated fish holds. As a result, the salted cod fish came to the market in little wooden boxes.  As you can imagine, cooking with salt cod is dramatically different than cooking with fresh or frozen codfish.

I have many old family recipes calling for salt cod. I have made the required changes and prepared them with frozen cod. They are good but they seem to lack a “certain something,” the slightly different, more energetic taste that you get from real salt cod; the taste that I remember from family meals back when.

(From The CityCook, Inc. - Why would we eat salt cod when we can have fresh fish? The answer is flavor. When white fish is saturated with salt and dried, amino acids and other chemical changes occur in the fish. This produces a chewier texture and milder, almost sweet, yet still fishy taste than its fresh counterpart.)

 Some years ago I had the urge to prepare foods for my children that were like the meals that I had as a child. Finding salt cod was not impossible but it was not easy either. Alas, for the most part those little wooden boxes are almost a thing of the ancient past. Atlantic Canada, Scandinavia and Portugal are sources of salt cod. Unless you just happen to live next door to a rare over the counter sales emporium, you have to buy online and pay a premium for shipping the vacuumed-sealed bags of dried and salted cod.



A little searching finally located a California company that is reasonable in price and doesn’t gouge for shipping.  BuyPortuguesefood.com  On occasion I do buy some salt cod and make bacalhau the old-fashioned way. While I was making my last salt cod order I came across a listing for these small, single-serving cans of codfish. They were not too expensive; about $3.98 a can. Shipping charges were for the order so I added a couple of cans just to see what they are like; a bit of cod without the hassle of making a large portion.

The codfish is packed in oil with traces of onion.  The fish has been lightly smoked and the skin is intact.

Although the can says a single serving I found the product rich and ½ of the filet made two open faced sandwiches. It has a delicate smoked taste and no trace of salt or brine, once the filet is spread on the bread the texture resembles that of smoked herring or sardines from a can. Care must be taken as the filet does contain some bones.

 I enjoyed the meal of BACALHAU A PORTUGUESA.  Whenever I reorder some salt cod I will also order a couple more cans of this fish to keep on the shelf to satisfy an unexpected craving. I suspect, if you like good quality fish, you will too.

Deep Fried Cod Fish Balls - Fiskerouletter

Deep Fried Cod Fish Balls
Fiskerouletter

Some of my fondest food memories are from my childhood. The aroma and taste of salt cod fish my father or aunts would prepare is one of my best. The codfish balls or patties, the Fiskerouletter, were a part of their Danish heritage they learned while growing up in the wilds of pioneer-age Michigan. Sadly something so readily available during the 1940-50’s had become an elusive and perhaps an almost extinct food product. Luckily I found a purveyor of salted cod products in California, Buyportuguesefood.com, and soon after I had myself a supply of salt cod fillets and salt cod pieces.

I am an avid reader and collector of old cookbooks and the oldest I own is from 1890 which had numerous recipes for salted cod. That is quite understandable since refrigeration was not readily available during that era. I also checked my favorite “go to” cookbook, America Cooks: The General Federation of Women’s Clubs Cookbook, my particular copy was published in 1967; the Federation was founded in 1890. This book has numerous recipes for salt cod and I selected one for codfish balls that was submitted by Doris Goodhope and another codfish balls recipe from my 1890 cookbook. With what I remembered watching Dad and Aunt Margie preparing them, I combined the best features of all and tweaked the recipes adding my own touch to come up with my version of Deep Fried Cod Fish Balls.   See complete recipe at:

http://www.twentymile.com/Cookbook/saltcodballs.htm

What I Used:

1. ½ lb. Salt Cod pieces (soaked for 24 hours in water and well drained)
2. 4 medium size potatoes
3. 2 tablespoons butter
4. ¼ teaspoon black pepper
5. ½ teaspoon powdered garlic
6. ½ teaspoon paprika
7. ½ teaspoon salt
8. 2 eggs
9. Bread crumbs
10. Oil for frying

How I did It:

Peel and quarter the potatoes and add to a pot along with the salt cod, cover with water to cover and bring to a boil and cook until potatoes are tender. There will be a lot of foam: be prepared to skim off a lot of foam and discard. Drain well and add to a bowl and mash until no large chunks are left. Put the bowl on the mixing stand (or use a hand mixer) and beat slowly until a smooth consistency, add the spices and the butter, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed, until well combined. Scoop out to form balls (I used a small scoop to form small cocktail-size balls or use a regular-size scoop for dinner size balls). Roll the mixture into a smooth balls and roll in the bread crumbs, then into the egg and then again in the bread crumbs. I found letting the coated balls set for about 5 minutes before frying gave me a better result. The balls that I put directly into the oil after rolling in the crumbs had a tendency to fall apart. Your oil should be around 365°-370°F. I used my Nu Wave induction cook top and easily maintained the temperature of the oil though out the entire process without burning. Remove the cod fish balls when nicely browned and put on paper towels to absorb any residual oil. Serve with your favorite tartar sauce or in this instance I used my homemade horseradish tartar sauce. They were delightful treats; creamy inside texture without a fishy taste surrounded by a crunchy exterior.