Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

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.