The SALT COD ON POTATO CREAM WITH CARAMELIZED ONIONS is an easy-to-prepare main course with a delicate and evocative flavor: it keeps the simplicity of the ingredients while enhancing their taste and distinctive textures, as only the best recipes can do. It is a dish that can be presented at a festive lunch, perhaps even on Christmas Eve when, according to tradition in many places, salt cod is served.
The goodness of the dish comes from the careful handling of the core ingredients and from the combinations that result. The creamy potato sauce, sweet and fragrant, becomes the ideal bed for the small, substantial, oven-baked pieces of salt cod, while the caramelized onions, with their intense flavor and aroma, add a burst of taste that wonderfully completes every bite.
As you’ll see, the dish is very simple to prepare and, perhaps precisely for that reason, disarmingly delicious…
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Medium
- Rest time: 2 Days
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 4 servings
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- 14 oz potatoes
- 1 clove garlic
- Half onion
- 1 sprig thyme
- to taste extra virgin olive oil
- to taste salt
- 1 cup water
- 18 oz desalted salt cod (soaked for 48 hours)
- to taste salt
- to taste black pepper
- to taste extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large red onion
- to taste extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- to taste salt
Steps
The first thing to do to prepare the SALT COD ON POTATO CREAM WITH CARAMELIZED ONIONS is to soak the salt cod in cold water for 48 hours, taking care to change the water at least twice a day.
After soaking, rinse it under running water, pat it dry and, using tweezers, remove any bones.
Cut it into rectangles measuring about 3 1/8 x 1 3/16 in and blanch them in boiling water for 5 minutes.
Drain, dry and season all over with oil, salt and pepper.
Place them on a baking tray lined with parchment paper with the skin facing up and bake in a preheated conventional oven at 392°F for 15–20 minutes.
In a small saucepan, add a drizzle of oil and gently sauté the onion, garlic and the leaves of the thyme over low heat. Add the potatoes cut into cubes, season with salt and pepper and let them absorb the flavors. Add enough water to cover the potatoes and cook over low heat for 20 minutes.
When the potatoes are soft, blend them with an immersion blender until you obtain a smooth, homogeneous cream. Set aside.
Trim the onion and cut it into slices about 3/16 in thick. In a pan add a drizzle of oil and gently sauté for 5 minutes. Deglaze with the vinegar and, once it has evaporated, add the sugar, salt and pepper.
Cook everything for about 10 minutes or until the onions are nearly caramelized, but still remain fairly firm.Warm the potato cream and spoon a few tablespoons onto the base of a shallow bowl. Lay the salt cod fillets on top and garnish with a few rings of caramelized onion. Finish with a drizzle of raw extra virgin olive oil and some rosemary.
