Brandade (Whipped Salt Fish Spread)

One of my favorite parts of this blog is challenging myself to use new and different ingredients and/or new and different techniques. So when I was contacted to participate in CFE’s International Saltfish Blogger Recipe Challenge, I jumped at the chance.

So what exactly is saltfish? It is fish, typically cod, pollock, or other white fish cured with dry salt to preserve it. This method of preservation dates back centuries, as it helped preserve fish without refrigeration.

CFE International offers a number of brands of salt fish: Buena Ventura, Cristobal, BacalaRico, and Isla Brisa. For this challenge, I was sent some Isla Brisa Salted Alaska Pollock Fillets to use in a recipe. (You can find these brands of saltfish in your local Cousins, H-Mart, Jetro, Price Chopper, and Price Rite supermarkets.)

I decided to do a spin on Brandade (Whipped Salt Fish Spread), a salt fish spread popular in Mediterranean countries. It’s also known as Brandada in Spain, and Baccala Mantecato in Italy.

The spread is whipped salt fish, potatoes, olive oil, and cream with seasoning and is served with crusty bread. My version below adds in some roasted garlic, caramelized onions, and horseradish to add new layers of flavor.

Ingredients:

Roasted Garlic:

• 6-8 peeled garlic cloves
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• salt and pepper, to taste

Caramelized Onions:

• 1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• salt, to taste

Brandade:

• 12 oz Isla Brisa saltfish
• 2 medium potatoes
• roasted garlic, recipe below
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 1/4 cups extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup half-and-half
• 1 tablespoon horseradish
• 2 tablespoons parsley, plus more for garnish
• 2 tablespoons dill, plus more for garnish
• salt and pepper, to taste
• sliced baguette,

 

 This recipe takes a bit of prep. Before using saltfish, you have to, well, de-salt it. 

A day or so before you plan on making the recipe, rinse the fish to remove any salt on the surface of the fish. Add to a large bowl filled with water and add to your refrigerator. Change the water at least twice over the course of 24 hours.

You can also roast the garlic and caramelize the onions ahead of time.

To roast the garlic, preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Add a piece of aluminum foil to a cookie sheet and add the garlic cloves. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Ball up the aluminum foil to seal. Add to the oven and bake for about 60 minutes or until soft. (I baked my potatoes at the same time. You can do this as well if you are not making the garlic ahead of time.)

Remove from the oven and reserve.

To make the onions, thinly slice your onion. Add the olive oil and butter to a saute pan over medium high heat. Add in the onion slides and stir to coat. Lower the heat to medium and spread the onions evenly across the bottom of the pan.

Cook, stirring every few minutes for about 30 minutes. You want to brown the onions without letting them burn (if they burn a little that’s ok, it’s just not ideal.) When the onions are a rich browned color, remove from heat and set aside.

When you’re ready to make the dish, preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Bake the potatoes on a cookie sheet for about 60 minutes or until easily pierced with a fork. When finish, let cool slightly then split lengthwise and scoop out the inside of the potato. Add to a large bowl and mash using a fork or potato masher.

While the potato bakes, drain your saltfish and add to a large pot filled with water. Add in a bay leaf, bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand for 20 minutes.

Drain the fish and add to a bowl. Flake the fish. Add in the roasted garlic and blend using a stand mixer or hand mixer.

While running, drizzle in the olive oil, followed by the half and half.

Add in the potatoes, parsley, dill, and horseradish and blend until just combined. Season with salt and pepper.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Add the mixture to an oven safe dish and bake for 10 minutes.

Turn on your broiler and broil until browned on top, about 3 minutes. Remove, garnish with more parsley and dill, and serve with baguette slices.

 The result is a creamy, rich appetizer perfect for spreading on crusty bread, that can be served warm or at room temperature.

The dill and parsley brings some brightness to the dish, and you get just a hint of the horseradish which I really liked.

What other ways would you use saltfish?

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