Salt Cod and Clam Stew Recipe
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At one time, you could find salt cod—fish preserved by drying and salting—on Viking ships. Now you can find it in specialty food stores.
What to buy: Look for salt cod near the fish counter in specialty food stores. It often comes in wooden 1-pound boxes.
Game plan: Be sure to start soaking the cod and beans 1 day ahead.
INGREDIENTS
- 1/2 pound salt cod
- 2 cups dried white beans, such as Great Northern or cannellini
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 quart whole milk
- 1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic (from about 2 medium cloves)
- 1/2 cup diced carrot (from about 1 large carrot)
- 1 1/2 cups chopped leeks (white and light green parts only)
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh thyme
- 1 pound manila clams, scrubbed
- 1 1/2 cups dry white wine
- 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
- 3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh Italian parsley
- Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
INSTRUCTIONS
- Place the salt cod in a large glass or plastic mixing bowl with enough cold water to cover it and let it soak for 24 hours in the refrigerator, changing the water 2 or 3 times. Put the beans in another bowl, cover with cold water, and let soak for 24 hours in the refrigerator.
- Drain the beans, transfer them to a medium saucepan, and add fresh cold water to cover. Bring to a simmer and cook gently (do not boil) until the beans are tender, about 40 minutes. Add the salt after 20 minutes. Strain the beans and reserve some of the cooking liquid.
- Drain the salt cod and trim off any brown flesh. Place the fish in a medium saucepan and add the milk, peppercorns, and bay leaves. Simmer over medium-low heat until the cod is soft and flakes easily, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat, strain the fish from the pan, and place in a bowl. Use a fork to flake the cod into bite-size pieces. Discard the milk and seasonings.
- Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic, carrot, leeks, and thyme and cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the clams and wine, stir, and cover. Cook just until the clams open, about 7 to 10 minutes. (Discard any clams that do not open.)
- Add the reserved cod and beans, lemon zest, and parsley and stir; add some of the bean-cooking liquid if the stew seems too thick. Ladle the stew into small bowls, drizzle with olive oil, and serve.
Beverage pairing: Lustau Fino Sherry Jarana, Spain. There’s a sweet richness at the heart of good salt cod and clams that needs to be addressed by the wine, but the brininess can’t be ignored. Fino sherry, always great for salty things, has enough rich fruit to do the trick. Serve it chilled.
The idea of this recipe is good, but it calls for far too much salt (1 Tbsp). Additionally, you need to cook down the wine with the veggies in it to cook off the alcohol and soften the veggies and THEN add the clams. My version is too salty, veggies too crunchy and highly alcoholic! Otherwise, it's good!
Yes, it's called Baccala' and you need to soak it for 2-3 days, changing water as often as possible. Once soaked, it will double in size, inspect it with your fingers to make sure there are no bones. If you find bones, pull them out with tweezers. Some lower-grade baccala' also may have skin or pieces of skin on one side of the filet, you need to remove all skin after soaking. Pat dry with paper towels and cook according to directions. I've cooked this fish a lot since it's a classic in my hometown Genoa, Italy. It's the best non-fresh fish you'll ever have and there are many different ways of cooking it. Don't add too much salt while cooking since, in spite of the soaking, it retains a distinctive saltiness. It's excellent deep fried in flour/yeast/beer batter, marinated with white vinegar/rosemary or stewed with potatoes, mushrooms, green olives, carrots, little tomato sauce, white wine. Contact me if you have any questions.
not just the salted cod: but, have u guys tried soaking brown rice overnight? The result is some kind of shine on the grains when cooked ; and, that's some kind of wonderful!
This is a tai hao le or wonderful recipe (n Mandarin). Seafood City store here in LV, sells salted Cod for about $ 7-8.00 per package; feeds a family of 4! Yummmmmmy! come to Vegas, babe.
Uh huh, this resonated with me too. It is fairly easy to purchase salt cod here in the interior of British Columbia. The last couple of years has seen a big spike in cost. 2c of dried beans makes a lot of beans ........... for only 1/2lb of baccala? I would make it a pound of fish. Soak the fish 2-3 days change water 2 x a day. On the day two, I would soak beans for day three.
For me? I intend to leave off the clams and stay with the rest. Mmmmm!
BTW ........ super recipe. I can tell before it is tasted. It has all the things I use in it's own charming way! ......... Cheers!
all the places that you Could buy it pre-soaked (fresh) are all gone in boston's Old north-end district all the good places have been displaced by yuppie condos here
Wow, sorry that got printed 4 times. I was having trouble with the computer.
You can buy the baccala presoaked here. It's beautiful and white. and tender/
Foodperv, I think you are right about the expiration.
baccala is same thing
quality ranges Lots but is is supposed to be the same product
i cann't say for sure but some of that boxed crap i wonder if the reason it is so poor in quality is that Maybe it is fish that has expired before they process it
Okay..I made it for lunch and it was great. Here are a few suggestions. Unless you want very crunchy leeks and carrots saute them until the leaks are soft. Leeks have more flavor when cooked longer anyway.
Everything else fine. I grilled some thick slices of bread and rubbed with a clove of garlic. Served stew over that. Wonderful. Big hit with Tuscan husband.
I'm about to make this today with baccala. My hisband buys i at the Friday fishmonger here in our little village in Italy. I see no reason why this shouldn't work...I'll let you know.
I've worked with salt cod in the States and "potshard" is right..it's always a crap shoot. I think this will be fine with baccala.
Soup and stew just looks wrong served in a clear bowl.
I have not made this recipe, but it sounds like it would be good. We like Salt Cod/Baccalao. NEVER use the "boxed stuff". It is AWFUL. Salt Cod varies considerably, depending on how it has been handled, and what culture it comes from. Cuban, Puerto Rican, Spanish, etc, etc, have recipes for using salt cod. Your best bet is trying to find Norwegian exported cod online...Unless you live next door to the local Quebec Cod Co-Op like we once did. Salt Cod is variable in "saltiness", ..but do not over-soak.
yes it stinks lol
my wife had never had it b-4. one day i asked her to prepare the cod while i was at work so i could finish it when i got home
she called me at work gagging my co-workers and i laughed for the rest of the day
the smell gets pretty gross
even for the zealous lot
ditto on the slab cod
it is seen in reg supermarkets from about mid nov. till new yr
of course you MUST have nice crusty bread to go with this stew
Slab salt cod is better then the boxed, if you can find it. My fishmonger has it sporadically, as does the local greek/italian import place.
Slabs are usually about 2 lbs -- but it keeps forever, and is pretty easy to portion.