Grilled Salted Cod (Bacalhau ao forno)

Salted cod is extremely popular in Brazil. It is potent and easy to find. Not so much here in the US. Luckily, with a little preparation, you can substitute with fresh cod! Or use any firm white fish, such as tilapia or Pollock.

Grilled Cod (Bacalhau ao forno)

Servings: 6

Time: 2 1/2 hours

Ingredients:

2 lb. cod fillets

1/2 lb. Potatoes, sliced

1/2 lb. Carrots, sliced

1 T olive oil

1 large onions, sliced

2 garlic cloves, sliced

1 bell pepper, diced

2 tomatoes, diced

1/4 C cilantro, chopped

2 T olives, chopped (optional)

Sauce:

1 T butter

1 C + 2 T milk (divided)

1 T cornstarch

1 egg, beaten

1/2 C heavy cream

1 13.5 oz. can coconut milk

Pinch of nutmeg

Pepper and salt to taste

Directions:

1. Defrost the cod overnight if frozen. Set fresh cod on plate and sprinkle generously with coarse sea salt. Let it sit for one hour.

2. While the fish sits, slice the potatoes and carrots. Boil fifteen minutes. Drain and set aside.

3. Slice the onion. Heat the oil in a frying pan and saute the onion over medium-low heat ten minutes or until soft. Set aside.

4. When the hour has passed, drain the fish. Let sit in cold water for one hour, draining the water and refilling every twenty minutes.

5. Make the sauce during this time (see below).

6. Place the fish in a shallow frying pan over medium heat. Drain often, frying until excess moisture pulls out and the fish flakes easily with a fork.

7. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

8. In a 9x13 pan, sprinkle half of the onions. Layer on top the cooked potatoes and carrots.

9. Put the fish on top of the potatoes. Add the other half of onions, the garlic, and the bell pepper. Top with the tomatoes, cilantro, and olives, if using.

10. Pour the sauce over the top. Bake for 30 minutes. 

11. Serve with rice.

Sauce:

1. Place the butter and 1 cup milk in a saucepan over medium heat.

2. Whisk the cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of milk in a small bowl. Add to saucepan, stirring well. Bring to a boil and let the mixture thicken.

3. Remove from heat.  Beat the egg in a small bowl. Add two tablespoon of the milk mixture to the egg and mix well. Add the cream, can of coconut milk, the nutmeg, salt and pepper to the saucepan. Stir in the egg.

4. Bring to a boil, stirring often, for ten minutes.

5. Set aside until needed.

Bacon-Potato Stacks

These are a fun bite-sized side dish that tastes like a baked potato. I used cotija cheese, but you could use cheddar or blue cheese.

Ingredients:

4-5 small red potatoes

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 tsp olive oil

4 slices bacon, cooked

2 oz. cotija cheese

1/2 tomato, diced

2 T sour cream

2 T chives

Thinly slice the potatoes, discarding the ends. A mandolin works well for this if you have one. You should end up with about 50 slices.

Spray 18 muffin tins. combine the potato slices, black pepper, and oil in a bowl. Toss well to coat. Crumble the bacon. 

Press one potato slice into each muffin cup. Sprinkle with half the bacon and cheese. Repeat the layering, putting another potato slice on top, followed by the rest of the bacon and cheese. Top with the remaining potato slice.

Bake in a 450 degree oven for 15-20 minutes. The longer you bake them, the crispier they get, so a lot of this depends on preference. Remove pans from oven and immediately remove stacks to a cooling rack.

Dice the tomatoes. Put a dollop of sour cream on each potato stack, sprinkle on the tomatoes and chives. Serve!

Tastefully,

Tamara