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By David Tanis
Salt cod is comfort food on the Iberian Peninsula, where it is called bacalao in Spain or bacalhau in Portugal. Whatever its name, I have always been a fan.
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Salting and drying codfish changes the flavor, deepens it. You either love it or you don’t. Some think it tastes strong. But 50 million Spaniards can’t be wrong, can they?
And Portuguese cooks say there are over a thousand ways to prepare it. Garlic is usually an ingredient, and potatoes are nearly always an important part of the preparation. Salt cod can be baked, pan-fried, shredded for salad, made into fritters or turned into a stew. And that’s just scratching the surface.
First, though, you have to soak it in cold water. Without the soaking, it is unpalatably salty; after an eight-hour bath with a few changes of water, it is ready to use and only mildly saline. The trick to cooking it is never to let it boil but to keep it just under a simmer. Some recipes call for steeping the soaked cod in boiling hot liquid instead.
Where can you get your salted cod? More places than you may imagine: Latino groceries, Italian delis, even supermarkets. It is sold in open baskets, in plastic bags and in cute little wooden boxes. Strictly speaking, it’s not always cod you are buying these days. It is well known that overfishing has done great damage to cod populations in the North Atlantic, so limits have been put in place. Now, other fish, like Alaskan pollock, are sometimes salted, which makes a reasonable substitute. And with sustainable management, some cod populations are now burgeoning. Still, what was once a cheap way to feed a family has become somewhat expensive.
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I digress. With the idea of a remembered salt cod and potato soup in mind, I began experimenting. For the Iberian slant, I knew I wanted saffron, onions, tomato, garlic and pimentón. For more heartiness, chickpeas became part of the equation. Finally, in addition to a pound of salt cod, I added a pound of clams. This last version got the seal of approval when served to a table of friends masquerading as a panel of unbiased tasters.
Though this combination is delicious, feel free to elaborate or improvise. Mussels instead of clams. A few calamari. Cook your own chickpeas — they are always better than canned, and using the chickpea broth is a wonderful way to build flavor in this and many other stews.
And to Drink ...
This complex dish requires a versatile wine. The funky, earthy flavor of chickpeas pairs well with reds, while the fish and clams suggest whites. Potatoes can go either way. I might start with a dry rosé, possibly Provençal as Spanish rosés are frequently bigger and fruitier. Dry Iberian whites will go well too, like godellos from Valdeorras and possibly even white Riojas. But I think with the chickpeas, the smoky pimento and the touch of tomato, I might opt for a red as long as it’s not too tannic, oaky and fruity. How about an inexpensive Portuguese red from the Douro or Alentejo, or possibly a mencía from the Galician region of Ribeira Sacra? I’d be tempted to experiment with Austrian blaufränkisch. The final word goes to fino sherry, which just might be ideal. ERIC ASIMOV
Recipes: Salt Cod, Potato and Chickpea Stew | More Cod
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