How to Salt Cod: My Favorite Bacalhau Recipe
I love salted fish—it’s a delicious dinner that can be healthy and full of great nutrients. If you buy salted fish in the store, it can be expensive and unhealthy. But, I’m going to show you how you can make one of your favorite treats—at home—for a fraction of the price at restaurant quality. Best of all, this recipe is nutritious and it’s filled with heart healthy fats and vitamins.
Bacalhou De Gringo is a delicious Portuguese and Brazilian dish that you can prepare in a fairly short amount of time. In this recipe, I’ll teach you how to do a wet brine and prepare salted cod in just a few easy steps.
Ingredients
Salted cod:
distilled or filtered water
kosher or sea salt
Ice cubes
Cooking:
Olive oil
Garlic paste
4 cod pieces
Alfredo Sauce
Instructions
Salted Cod:
Measure out five quarts of water, and for the fifth quart, use some ice to chill the water.
Add a half cup of salt for every quart. So, pour in two and a half cups of salt and then dissolve it in the brine.
Set the salted water aside while you prepare the fish. Cut the cod into serving size pieces.
Put the cod in the water and let the fish soak in the refrigerator for about 2 – 2 ½ hours depending on the thickness.
When the cod is fully brined, take it out of the fridge, and bring it over to the sink and lightly rinse each piece.
Let them drain a little bit, and then remove extra moisture with a paper towel.
After that, put the cod on a rack to dry. Place that rack in the refrigerator and let the cod sit for approximately two hours.
Cooking:
Put some olive oil in a pan and add one tablespoon garlic paste.
When the garlic starts to puff up, put in the cod pieces. Cook for 3-4 minutes on both sides.
Top this with just a little bit of alfredo sauce on each piece.
Set the heat on low, cover the pan, and let the sauce sit for 5 minutes.
Sprinkle your code with fresh parsley and serve!
Tips
Different thicknesses of the fish are going to absorb salt at different rates. So, it is suggested to typically break off the thinner pieces and brine/cook them seperately.
If you accidentally brine the fish too long, soak it in unsalted water for a few minutes and then pat dry before resting in the refrigerator.
You can store salted cod in the fridge for a longer period of time than normal fish.
Health benefits of Cod
Cod contains many vitamins and minerals that are important for our body. It contains iodine, which helps the body’s metabolism. Cod also has a beneficial effect on the nervous system and it can strengthen the immune system, increasing the body's resistance to colds and infectious diseases.
Salted cod is one of my favorite recipes for entertaining and this technique is sure to impress your friends and family. If you loved this recipe, be sure to try my Mediterranean Style Cod Recipe.
Leave a comment below to let us know how your salted cod turned out!