Today I would like to talk to you about Cod.
Common cod, Atlantic cod or cod from Norway (Gadus morhua) is one of about 60 species of the same family of migratory fish. It lives in cold northern seas. Usually, cod is small in size, although some specimens can reach one hundred kilograms in weight, with a size of up to almost two metres. It feeds on other smaller fish, such as herring.
A cod fishing in the North of Europe
Cod from the North Atlantic
Herring from Norway
The etymological origin has some doubts, although the RAE (the Spanish Royal Academy of the language) affirms that it comes from the bakailao (cod in euskera = the language from the Basque Country) and this one, in turn, of the Dutch bakeljauw, variant of kabeljauw, that justifies the French cabillaud, that refers to the fresh cod in front of the dry one, morue.
Fresh cod
Dry cod
Cod in salting is a processed form of cod, that consists of practicing salt drying (salting). This presentation makes it possible to be kept, in a dry place, for several months. Cod is appreciated for its meat and for the oil of its liver. Cod liver oil is extremely rich in Omega-3 fatty acids, as well as in vitamin A and vitamin D2. In fact, these properties were heavily exploited for years, crude oil being supplied to children, as a food supplement for the fixation of Calcium, in the bones.
Salted fish
Other similar edible species include haddock, Pacific cod and haddock. The last one, in particular, has been exhausted, by the trawls net of large factory ships.
Cod is also subject to abusive fishing, in the North Atlantic, where, since the 16th century, European ships have been fishing, especially in Newfoundland and Great Sun. The economic, social and cultural importance of this fishing is evidenced by the numerous clashes between the powers, for the control of the fishing grounds, which is the origin of the current system of Maritime International Law, the development of human settlements, of enormous importance, and many literary works.
The cod can be consumed frozen or dry, being habitual the salting for its conserved in dry. This last one allowed, for many European continental populations, to have protein reserves, for centuries, --the dry cod contains 62 gr per 100 gr of edible portion and 17,81 without desiccation--. In fact, many of the trips,of the Iberian navigators, would not have been possible, without this product.
Salted cod for freeze
There are numerous recipes for cooking cod, grouped into five large culinary families: raw (esqueixadas, sushis), roasted (ember), in sauce (a la Biscayne, from Biscay, in the Basque Country), with oil (pil-pil, Braz), with cream Milk or butter (with cream, convent) and sweet (to honey). The cod "Club Ranero" is a variant of the cod to the pil-pil, to which is added a fry of peppers. It owes its name to the Ranero club of Bilbao, when the chef Caraveriere had to supply, with peppers, the lack of other ingredients.
Cod, in its diverse forms of preparation, is a common dish in countries like Spain, Portugal, Mexico (Christmas Dinner), Jamaica, Panama, Puerto Rico and Dominican Republic. It is the most important food in Portugal (the dish is named “Bacallao á braz”, “Grilled cod”), made with potatoes, onion and beaten egg and, when finished, decorated with black olives.I tested this last recipe, several years ago, and I loved it.
Grilled cod
And today I would like to show you the recipe of "Cod to Biscayne".
Now, I am going to show you the Ingredients (for 4 persons):
- 4 loins of cod (desalted)
- 6 onions (3 red and 3 white).
- 6 garlic cloves.
- 10 dry red peppers (choriceros peppers).
- Extra virgin oil.
- Salt.
- Parsley
Note: I like very much this dish with potatoes in slices; but, the original recipe has no potatoes.
Dry red peppers
This is what you have to do with those ingredients: Remove the tail and pips, from the dry red peppers. Cook them, in a pan, with water, for 10 minutes. Drain them, remove the meat and punch it. Reserve it.
Next, peel 6 cloves garlic and fry them lightly, in a lunch box, with plenty of oil (100 ml). Put the cod (for the part of the skin) and crystallise it, for about 4 minutes (2 minutes on each side). Remove the cod and reserve.
Of course, you have to remove the salt from the cod, before cooking.How to do that?; well, my father --who was a very good chef-- put the cod into cold water and left it so during 48 hours.
Chop the onions, in dice, and add them to the lunch box. Fry it lightly, over medium heat, until tender. Add the meat of the dry red peppers and cook everything, for 8-10 minutes. Grind.
Put the pieces of cod, in the sauce, and let cook during 5-6 minutes. Serve and adorn with some parsley leaves.
And this one nust be the result:
Cod to Biscayne
Cod to Biscayne on the plate
Well, I hope that you want to try to cook this recipe and, if it is so, please tell me it.
Until my next post, kind regards,
Luis.
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