Salt Cod - Bacalhau Salgado

Salt cod arrived on the Brazilian table through our colonisers, and today Brazil is the biggest consumer of salt cod followed by Portugal, Spain and Italy. Brazil however, is not a producer - all our product is imported from Norway and Portugal. Brazilians rarely eat fresh cod as it’s just not available to us. The Vikings were the first to learn the process of preserving fish by hanging it in the air, causing the fish to lose weight and become a hard plank - perfectly suited for transportation and trade. Once reconstituted, it presents a flaky flesh that is absolutely delicious. The best species of cod for salting is the Atlantic cod, Gadus morhua. When using salt cod, it’s very important to desalt it properly: Use a big plastic container as the volume of water has to be at least 10 times bigger than the weight of the cod. I also like to use a rack or colander so the cod is floating completely in the water. Try to find cod that has thick flesh.