Brandada de Bacalao is a delicious emulsion of salt cod, potatoes (not always), olive oil, garlic and milk (or cream). The dish comes from the Països Catalans (Catalan speaking countires), Catalunya, Valencia, the Balearic Islands, Andora and Roussillon in France. Roussillon once belonged to Catalunya, but was ceded to France in 1659, after the Reapers’ War. Brandada de Bacallà (Catalan) is called Brandade de Morue in French and there’s a very similar dish containing egg and wallnuts from Castilla-La Mancha called Atascaburras. There are also Brandada like dishes made in Italy (baccalà mantecato), Portugal (Bacalhau com Natas) and Greece (brantada). The word Brandada, comes from the verb brandar (Catalan and Occitan), meaning to rock, oscillate or move around.
Cod cured in salt will literally keep for years, perhaps even decades without spoiling. The technique of curing by air drying cod dates back to the Vikings, who it is said, gave the procedure to the Basques, along with directions to the Grand Banks off North America, where the sea was literally full of cod (one could practically dip a hand in the ocean and pull out a fish). Unlike Norsemen, the Basques had salt and perfected the art of salting, so perhaps there was some trade off. According to Cod: A Biography of the Fish That Changed the World (by Mark Kurlansky), Basque fishermen were sailing across the Atlantic for 500 years before Columbus discovered America. It is said that the Basques kept their fishing grounds a secret and others who tried to follow them foundered on the way. Regardless, salt cod became an essential cheap staple (along with cured meat and sausage), in the centuries before refrigeration – all long journeys and voyages depended on food that would keep for the duration.
The Bacalao stalls in la Boqueria sell their own, home made Brandada and you can buy a cheaper and inferior version in Catalan supermarkets. It’s worth trying the Brandada from several stalls and markets, because they are all different!
When you buy Bacalao it’s quite stiff, relative to how long ago that it was salted and it will need to be soaked for several days to remove the salt before it can be cooked. I read a fabulous account regarding the President of the Conseil (the governing body of France), who on preparing a banquet in 1947, put his bacalao in the water closet and asked his valet to flush the toilet on the hour (for a week) to wash it, ready for cooking! You should be able to see the salt crystals on the above piece of cod.
Receta de Brandada de Bacalao:
400g bacalao (desalinated)
400g potatoes (starchy)
6 cloves garlic
100ml full fat milk (or cream)
100ml extra virgin olive oil
sea salt and cracked black pepper (to taste)
chopped parsley (for decoration)
On the bacalao stalls in Spanish markets, they have beautiful old marble sinks for washing the salt cod, so you can buy it salted or desalinated, ready to cook.
I put my bacalao into a container of water and refreshed it twice a day for 3 days in the fridge. You can pull off a tiny piece from a corner to taste and check to see how salty it is. This is cured fish, so there’s no health risk!
When the fish has been suitably washed it will look miraculously like a piece of fresh cod.
Put the bacalao into a saucepan and cover with water.
Bring the fish almost to a boil, turn the heat off and allow it to poach for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, boil 400g floury potatoes in salted water, until they are tender. When cooked, refresh with cold water and allow to cool down a little.
Heat 100ml whole milk with a bayleaf. When it gets quite warm, but not boiling, turn it off.
Gently confitar (confit) 6 cloves of garlic in 100ml extra virgin olive oil. This should be kept on low – you will just see occasional tiny bubbles. When the garlic goes wrinkly and starts to change colour, allow to cool.
Rice or mash the potatoes, then flake the cod and remove all the bones. Coleman Andrews suggests adding the cod skin to the mixture (most others don’t). I wasn’t going to do this, but when I felt the sticky gelatin in the skin, I changed my mind.
Using a stick blender or food processor, turn the fish and potatoes into a paste, while slowly adding the luke warm milk. Follow the milk with the garlic infused olive oil (discard or use the garlic in something else). Spr inkle the brandada with chopped parsley for decoration. Serve with crusty bread and a crisp Verdejo, such as Bicicletas y Peces (Bicycles and Fish), from D.O. Rueda.
While comparing French and Catalan recipes, I realised that Brandade de Morue is often baked. Not wanting to miss out, I divided my Brandada in half and put a dish of it in the oven at about 180ºC until the top bubbled and went golden brown. This is quite amazing, it brings out the fluffyness of the mixture and could be served as a main course with seasonal vegetables. French recipes suggest a squeeze of lemon on top and in some, grated cheese.
Note: If bacalao is unavailable, I am sure you can acheive something similar with fresh cod, as long as you season it with a little salt, about an hour before cooking. See here for a quick faux bacalao recipe from fresh and here’s a genuine bacalao recipe, which is quite simple – all you need is cod, salt, a refridgerator (or cold larder) and time!