Thread: Baccalŕ
View Single Post
  #10 (permalink)   Report Post  
Posted to rec.food.cooking
Ed Pawlowski[_5_] Ed Pawlowski[_5_] is offline
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 3,559
Default BaccalĂ*

On 12/28/2018 1:16 PM, joecool wrote:
> jmcquown > wrote:
>> On 12/28/2018 11:43 AM, wrote:
>>> On Fri, 28 Dec 2018 08:08:37 -0700, graham > wrote:
>>>
>>>> On 2018-12-28 5:51 a.m.,
wrote:
>>>>> On Fri, 28 Dec 2018 00:03:16 -0500, jmcquown >
>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>> On 12/27/2018 8:05 PM, joecool wrote:
>>>>>>> Felt like posting something to distract from the leery dude with the
>>>>>>> chocolate.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> I picked up salt cod, baccalĂ*, from my local Costco a couple weeks ago.
>>>>>>> Never had it before. Made a really basic recipe called baccalĂ* lesso. Let
>>>>>>> the fish soak in water for about 24 hours in the fridge before using.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Once soaked, I simmered in boiling water for 20 minutes or so and topped
>>>>>>> with some olive oil, garlic, and parsley. Pretty decent.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> I gather this is a Christmas food for Portuguese and Italians, if anyone
>>>>>>> else has tried, what was your favorite recipe?
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Joe
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>> I've heard of it but I have not tried it. From what I've seen on
>>>>>> cooking shows it definitely needs to be long soaked to remove the salt
>>>>>> used to preserve it. Nice of you to give it a try. I doubt I can find
>>>>>> anything like it near where I live.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Jill
>>>>> That depends entirely on taste, the Jamaican dish I used to do
>>>>> required very little de-salting.
>>>>
>>>> Was that salt cod and ackee? We had a Jamaican nanny many years ago who
>>>> prepared that for us. Very unusual:-) She also introduced us to rice
>>>> with peas, i.e., rice, red beans and coconut.
>>>
>>> You guessed it! My father was born in the barracks in Kingston just
>>> ahead of the major earthquake, he retained a love of Jamaican food all
>>> his life.
>>>

>> Okay, well joecool was posting about using it in an Italian or
>> Portuguese dish and that's what I saw on the cooking show. I really
>> don't know a thing about baccala other than what I saw on the show.
>>
>> Jill
>>

>
> I should note that I had seen baccalĂ* before stored at room temp, the fish
> looking stiff as a board. The type of salt cod Costco carried was just firm
> to the touch, skinned and deboned.
>
> I actually heard the room temp stable salt cod does well soaking for 2
> days. There are also apparently pre-soaked ones for sale.
>
> It still held a good salty flavor once cooked, I can imagine it would be
> good in a chowder or stew in place of clams.
>
> Joe
>


You won't find it in my house. My wife's Italian grandfather bought the
dried stuff a few times a year and she despised it. He would soak it
and change the water but she always thought it was a nasty salt bomb.

Years ago salting and drying was a necessity to keep foods with no
refrigeration. Some were good, others less so, but tastes vary.