A day in advance, soak the cod in a large basin of cold water to cover for 18 to 24 hours, or until the fish is swollen, changing the water at least 3 times and adding 1 cup of the milk for the last soaking.
Rinse the cod; cut into 3 or 4 pieces. Place in a large saucepan and cover with fresh cold water. Add the herb bouquet, onion, garlic clove, and peppercorns. Heat slowly until the first white foam appears. Remove from the heat at once; cover and let stand for 10 minutes.
Using a slotted spoon, remove the salt cod pieces to a paper towel–lined plate. Reserve the liquid for cooking the potatoes. Carefully remove the bones and hard skin; flake the flesh finely. Keep warm.
Meanwhile cook the potatoes in the poaching water. Drain off the cooking liquid. (This broth can be used for a soup.) Dry the potatoes over low heat, then immediately mash them until smooth, using a ricer, a potato masher, or the wire beaters of an electric mixer. Beat in 2 tablespoons of the walnut oil, the raw egg, and the chopped garlic. Beat until smooth. Keep warm.
Meanwhile, scald the remaining ¾ cup milk in a small saucepan and heat the remaining walnut oil in a second saucepan.
Place the flaked cod and a little of the warm milk in a food processor. Pulse on and off once. Gradually add the warmed oil and milk alternately, pulsing without overworking the salt cod. The mixture should feel light but slightly gritty.
Scrape the fish into the mashed potatoes. Sieve the hard-boiled eggs into the mixture, then add the parsley. Gently but thoroughly mix until well blended and light. Adjust the seasoning with white pepper and a few drops of vinegar or lemon juice to taste. Serve warm in a wide dish surrounded with the garlic toast triangles.
The spread can be made up to 6 hours in advance. If you do so, reserve a few tablespoons warm milk for reheating. Mix together over low heat.
Baby Eel
Pibales
Baby eel—called pibales in French, angulas in Spanish, angulak or txitxardinac in Basque, and sometimes called elvers in English—are soft, white, slippery little things 1½ to 2 inches long; heaped together, they resemble a mass of cut-up spaghetti. You should not be put off by their appearance. Baby eel is considered a delicacy along the coasts of Morocco, Spain, Portugal, and France from the Spanish border up to Bordeaux. For years, when I lived in Tangier, I'd anticipate them as I drove forty minutes down the coast to the town of Asilah to Pepe's Cafe, where they were a famous specialty. And whenever I am in Saint-Jean-de-Luz in early winter, I make a point to eat them at Pablo's Restaurant on rue Mlle. Etcheto, where they are served in a shallow earthenware casserole in sizzling hot olive oil flavored with the piquant piment d'Espelette and slivered garlic. At Pablo's, they are eaten the traditional way—with a wooden fork.
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