One of the oldest commodities traded between southern and northern Europe is dried cod from the cold waters of the North Atlantic. Viking traders had already been shipping air-dried cod (stockfisk) to the Mediterranean for centuries before Portuguese and Basque fishermen began to cross the Atlantic to the rich cod grounds off New England and Newfoundland. Using the salt they brought with them (a scarce commodity in the north, which is why the Norwegians developed their air-dried version), the Iberian fishermen split and salted their catch to preserve it for the trip home. Bacalao, bacalhau, or baccalá, as salt cod is known in Spanish, Portuguese, and Italian respectively, remains a favorite traditional food in many Mediterranean countries, although some prefer the unsalted Nordic version.

 

Probably the best introduction to salt cod is in the French brandade de morue, a warm purée enriched with milk and olive oil. Because it is so rich, a little brandade goes a long way, spread on plain crackers or toasted slices of bread.

 

Brandade is traditionally mixed by hand in the skillet, but an electric mixer (either the stand type or hand-held) does the job much more easily. A food processor is less suitable, as it purées everything too far and too fast.

 

Note that you need to start the brandade two days before you plan to serve it.

 

 

 

From The Microbrew Lover’s Cookbook, Copyright © 2002 by Jay Harlow. Used by arrangement with Jay Harlow.