Codfish: the most traditional ingredient you will find on a Portuguese table at Christmas.
At Atlantico you will find dry and salted or soaked and frozen codfish. Whether you want to suggest a codfish recipe to your customers, or you want to bring this traditional ingredient and its taste to your business, we leave you a list of things to consider:
- There are different species of codfish – in fact, Codfish is a family of fish. The noble specie and real flavour are in the Gadus Morhua one (or its cousin, Gadus Macrocephalus, the Pacific Codfish).
- Find different sizes and weights of codfish: growth cod (crescido, +1Kg – 2Kg), big (graúdo, +3Kg – 4Kg), special (+3Kg – 4Kg), jumbo (over 4.5Kg). The choice will depend mainly on how many people are eating it.
- You can buy a whole codfish, or you can buy the parts or cuts that are most convenient. Loins, faces or shredded. This can save money and time.
- If you don’t have time, space or means for the soaking stage: buy it frozen. Also have in consideration that dry codfish grows 30% after the soaking stage. After being frozen it loses a bit of its flavour.
- To soak dried salted cod: pay attention to the cod size/weight. That will set the timing it needs to soak. Always wash it first to remove salt excess. Then place the cod in cold water with the skin up and change water 2 or 3 times a day.
- To cook it: boil it only if the recipe demands it. Otherwise, just let it simmer in hot water until it starts to flake.
- Seasoning: olive oil, bay leaves and garlic are the cod best friends.
An important detail about dry salted codfish is that it can dry and be cured for different periods of time. However, it is said that the ones who cure for longer have a better aroma and texture.
In terms of cure, you can find The Traditional Portuguese Cure, The Vintage and The Yellow Cure. The Vintage Cure is a subcategory of the Portuguese One: the codfish cures for a period of 20 months, which is more than the usual. The Yellow Cure uses less salt content and different temperatures to dry the cod.
To complete this small guide, we leave a very traditional Portuguese Recipe for Christmas Eve.
BACALHAU DA CONSOADA RECIPE
(CHRISTMAS EVE CODFISH)
INGREDIENTS:
- 900 gr, codfish loin, previously soaked
- 4 garlic cloves
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 ½ salt teaspoons
- 2 Portuguese cabbage (± 1,2 kg)
- 3 eggs (M size)
- 700 gr, potatoes (small/medium for boiling)
- 5 tablespoons of olive oil
- 300 gr carrot
- Ground pepper to taste
PREPARATION:
Place the codfish loins in a pan filled with water, add a crushed garlic clove and the bay leaf. Season with a salt teaspoon and set aside.
Meanwhile, separate the cabbage leaves, remove the central stalk, and cook them in boiling water until tender. Peel the carrots and chop them coarsely.
Place the egg, peeled potatoes and carrots in another pan. Cover with water and season with salt.
After boiling for 10 minutes, remove the eggs and cook the rest of the vegetables until tender.
Heat two tablespoons of olive oil in a large non-stick frying pan, add the remaining chopped garlic cloves and the drained carrots. Sauté for 15 minutes over moderate heat.
At the same time, drain the cabbage leaves.
Place the codfish in the stove and let it simmer for 8 minutes, or until it starts to flake.
Coarsely chop the cabbage into strips and add to the mixture. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper and sauté, stirring occasionally. Add the drained potatoes and stir gently.
Finalize by placing the vegetables on the serving platter and on top the codfish loins, skinned, and cleaned of the larger bones. Drizzle with the remaining olive oil and garnish with the hard-boiled eggs cut in half.
Let us meet at the table!