Brandade de Morue

Storing and Planning Ahead

Refrigerated for 3 days. Rewarm gently, beating in a little warm milk. It freezes for 2 months.

Making Brandade de Morue

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1. Soak the salt cod in cold water for at least 2160 minutes, changing the water four or five times. Taste a flake before going on — it should be pleasantly seasoned, not salty.

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2. Boil the potatoes with 3 of the garlic cloves for 20 minutes, until completely soft. Drain and mash, keeping them hot.

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3. Poach the drained cod in fresh water at a bare simmer for 10 minutes. Do not boil it — it toughens.

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4. Flake the cod, removing every scrap of skin and bone, and pound it with the remaining raw garlic to a rough paste.

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5. Beat the hot mashed potato into the cod.

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6. Now beat in the warm oil and warm milk alternately, a little at a time, as if making mayonnaise, until smooth and thick.

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7. Season with pepper, lemon and nutmeg, spread in a dish, finish with oil and parsley and serve warm with toast.

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Related guides: Prep, cook and total time · Ingredient substitutions.

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Worth Knowing

• Soak for a day and a half and taste before proceeding.
• Warm oil, warm milk, added alternately.
• Poach the cod, never boil it.

Why the Method Is What It Is

The salt cod must be soaked for a day and a half in several changes of cold water, and this is not negotiable — under-soaked cod is inedibly salty and no amount of potato will rescue it. Taste a flake before you commit. The oil and milk both go in warm, alternately, exactly as for a mayonnaise: cold liquid into hot fish makes the mixture seize and turn grainy rather than emulsifying into a smooth purée.

Serving Ideas

Toasted baguette · Green salad · A glass of Picpoul

Common Substitutions & Variations

• An eighth of a teaspoon of garlic powder per clove is the stand-in usually given when you are out of fresh garlic; it will not brown the same way, and it burns easily, so add it with the liquid.

Quick Answers

Brandade de Morue Nutrition

Per serving, an approximate calculation from the ingredient list. Treat it as a rough guide: an ingredient listed without an amount is not counted, so the figures run low. How the figures are worked out.

Gluten-free when made without the toasted baguette.

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