Drying Salt Cod. Have I done this correctly?
Following Michael Ruhlman's Charcuterie section on Salt Cod I have had a piece of cod stinking up my fridge for the past 7 days (actually 8 days, 24 hours for curing in the salt, and then 7 days drying since rinsing off the salt). The thinner end of the fillet is pretty hard but the thicker end still has some 'squish' to it. I am starting to wonder if I didn't cure it long enough in the salt for the thick part. Does anyone know if it just needs more drying time or if I didn't cure it enough and need to try again with a fresh piece of fish? Is my cod safe?
Thanks in advance for any advice.
Add a comment:
Previewing your comment:
HTML Hints
Some HTML is OK: <a href="URL">link</a>, <strong>strong</strong>, <em>em</em>
Comment Guidelines
Post whatever you want, just keep it seriously about eats, seriously. We reserve the right to delete off-topic or inflammatory comments. Learn more at our Comment Policy page.
If you see something not so nice, please, report an inappropriate comment.
Start Talking!
Need a question answered? Have advice to share? Start a Talk topic now!
Sign up to get your questions answered and share advice.
10 Comments:
Wait. You're making your own bakala? I've seen lots of recipes made from salt cod, but I haven't seen too many recipes for making your own salt cod, so I can't really help you too much. I can tell you that I recently saw an episode of New Scandinavian Cooking with Andreas Viestad where he describes how salt cod (bacalao) was made. If I recall, it involved gutting and de-heading the cod and burying it in a pile of salt for a day or two, and then, in the cold, breezy coastal cliffs of Norway, the peasants would let the cod dry on the rocky shores. (This process is described on Wikipedia, too.)
In his cookbook, Kitchen of Light, Veistad suggests that if you can't find salt cod, you can replace it with fresh cod that has been soaked overnight in salt water, with a ratio of 4 parts water to 1 part salt.
I'm sorry that this trivia probably doesn't help you in the slightest.
Dave.
cookingmonster.com
DaveFaris at 2:45AM on 01/07/08
(whoops. wikipedia article.)
DaveFaris at 2:53AM on 01/07/08
You might shoot Ruhlman a question about it:
michael@ruhlman.com
Good luck -- I hope it turns out for you!
Dominic
the zen kitchen
dvchurch at 12:06PM on 01/07/08
Please, Do yourself and your fridge a favor, buy salt cod. Salt cod is salted within hours of being caught on Norweigan fishing boats, to preserve flavor and freshness for the long journey back. If you know exactly where and when this fish was caught, then great. if you are not sure then...chuck it and open a can of tuna.
nelson5757 at 12:50PM on 01/07/08
Wow. Dude, there is a reason that stockfish and baccala are cured outside!
I do know how to make it (I was a commercial fisherman for a little while), and yes, you bury it in salt for a few days (2-3 depending on the size), then hang it by a hook through the tail end, which is nasty anyway, to finish air curing. You need temps around freezing, and lots of air movement. It also helps to have humidity of around 60-70 percent.
And did I mention that if you do not use Atlantic cod, or hake as a poor second cousin, you will not get a satisfactory product? Go see what prices are on fresh Atlantic cod are these days and you'll see that it's better to buy it pre-done, if you can't catch it yourself.(If you do, you need a fish of at least 30 inches to make a decent slab of salt cod.)
If you catch it yourself and have the proper conditions, then make baccala to your heart's content! No? Then buy it. One of those wooden boxes will keep in your fridge for two years.
And sorry about your fridge - you may need several boxes of baking sode to stop that stink...
HunterAnglerGardenerCook at 4:58PM on 01/07/08
I have to ask... Why would you make salt cod just to hydrate it again?
barbigirl8 at 11:37PM on 01/07/08
@barbigirl8 Exactamundo!
nelson5757 at 5:37PM on 01/08/08
Wanderingx: firstly, don’t give up if the first lot doesn’t go to plan – home curing is addictive, rewarding, money saving and very, very tasty. Despite what some people might say, most cured stuff that you make will be superior in every way to commercial products. Do not be surprised if it takes a few goes to get each product right (I currently have a pig’s leg hanging from my kitchen window and until I cut into it I am not certain if it is three hundred quid’s worth of Parma ham or a rotten chunk of meat :)) , but you will perfect your own system for each foodstuff that you make and then feel very smug and happy when eating it and serving it to guests. So good luck and keep at it!
Now. Salt cod. Ruhlman recommends 24 hours initial cure per inch, so yes you should try and cure similar thickness of fillets separately (or make some fishcakes with the thinner off-cuts and just use the meaty bits). You really don't need to air dry it outside - if the temperature is right then it is preferable, but not essential by any means. And yes, I know from experience of curing my own salt cod in the fridge…
As for all the naysayers who say 'buy it', you could say that about any cured product. Why cure your own food? Because it is (usually) cheaper, better (or at least to your individual taste) and you (should!) know its provenance. It also gives you a better understanding of the product and so makes you a better cook. Anyway, for those unfortunates amongst us who live in the food-hating UK, just try and find decent salt cod outside of London.
And those who ask why you make salt cod "just" to hydrate it again really know nothing about food. Sorry to be that blunt, but there it is - rehydrated/soaked salt cod is a completely different product to fresh cod to the extent that they are not interchangeable in recipes. You may as well question why people make Parma ham when a leg of pork would do.
sceptic at 4:00PM on 04/05/08
P.S. It really shouldn't smell if it was properly cured and it was uber fresh to start with! Even after a week. Looks like the thick bits didn't get cured properly if they are "squishy" and smelly.
sceptic at 2:52PM on 04/06/08
It has be be cured in the sun... In these parts the cod is laid on the wharf and dried that way. If you really want to learn more try to contact somebody in Weymouth NS where it's done locally...probably the local fish market could give you some clues as to where to start.
kytrajocojojo2 at 12:21PM on 11/16/08