Back in January I saw these recipes from Skye Gyngell, and thought the salt cod with fennel, tomato and saffron looked fantastic. Then it took me 3 months to find a supplier of salt cod. Everything was lined up to be delicious - tomatoes, onions, fennel, chilli, saffron, white wine and salt cod. I crushed some butterbeans with parsley, lemon juice and garlic. And yet, and yet... It just wasn't there. I think the pieces of cod needed to bake in the sauce for maybe half an hour, maybe longer, in order to have a proper flavour exchange and get to real succulence. As it was, the fish just sat in the sauce without being really connected to it. At least now I know where to get the salt cod, so I can try again.
Monday, 13 April 2009
Salt cod with fennel and saffron
Back in January I saw these recipes from Skye Gyngell, and thought the salt cod with fennel, tomato and saffron looked fantastic. Then it took me 3 months to find a supplier of salt cod. Everything was lined up to be delicious - tomatoes, onions, fennel, chilli, saffron, white wine and salt cod. I crushed some butterbeans with parsley, lemon juice and garlic. And yet, and yet... It just wasn't there. I think the pieces of cod needed to bake in the sauce for maybe half an hour, maybe longer, in order to have a proper flavour exchange and get to real succulence. As it was, the fish just sat in the sauce without being really connected to it. At least now I know where to get the salt cod, so I can try again.
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9 comments:
It's a shame when a meal doesn't quiiiiite deliver. It certainly sounds like a nice combination of flavours...Salt cod always makes me think of Forever Summer where Nigella recommends soaking it in the toilet cistern, which put me off a tiny bit...
Ha ha, wow, I have not seen Forever Summer, but now I have quite a vision of Nigella preparing salt cod! FC, hope you'll tinker with this recipe a bit until it works out. It sounds like it has potential!
Laura - yeah, the cistern thing was offputting!
Sarah - I will. I just think longer cooking is what it really wants!
We had salt cod at a restaurant once & loved it but I've never tried cooking it at home.
mmmmmmmm. anything with saffron gets a yes in my book! sounds yummy!
The sauce on that cod looks dreamy..I adore both fennel and saffron too!
I haven't tried working with salt cod either - but, being just a couple of provinces away from Newfoundland - I do have access to it in the grocery stores.
I admire you for trying it!
Kat - I will usually order it in restaurants when I see it, too!
Heather - I am going through a bit of a saffron phase too. No dish is safe!
Peter - I want to try that salt cod dish you made recently.
Natashya - are there lots of Newfoundland dogs in Newfoundland?
The flavours sound fantastic, it's a shame it didn't quite work out. I hope you'll try this again and post about it.
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