Salt Cod gravy over potatoes

[Andiron]

This is more of a request than a recipe..

My dad always mentioned his grandmother getting a hunk of salt cod, soaking it for a couple days,  then making a white gravy with the fish and serving it over a baked potato.  Does anyone else know of a similar thing?  Dad doesn't recall the specifics,  but I'd like to try and recreate it.

[zxcvbob]

I have never tried it, but this sounds like what you're describing: https://www.bonitaskitchen.com/recipe/creamed-codfish-from-salted-cod/

Instead of vegetable broth (because who has vegetable broth??), maybe make vegetable or chicken bouillon using a bouillon cube according to its directions (a cup of hot water for the small ones) and use 1/2 a cup of that.  Grandma probably used a bouillon cube or a little fish broth from preparing the dried fish.

HTH

[K Frame]

OK, Bob posted pretty must exactly what I was going to say.

I have a Shaker Community cookbook and one of the recipes in it is for Fish and Egg using salt dried cod.

Years ago I posted a recipe here for my creamed cod and potatoes. It uses fresh cod, not salt, but it should be similar. It's truly one of my winter comfort foods.


"Instead of vegetable broth (because who has vegetable broth??)"

I do. I buy it at the store in quart containers. If I don't use the whole container I freeze the rest and use it later, often dropping it into a batch of soup.

I do much the same with chicken and beef broth.

[charby]

I see vegetable broth for sale in cans/boxes at grocery store. Growing up I remember one of the churches did creamed cod and potatoes for a meal once or twice a year. Wasn't Catholic, but I wish I could remember.

[Andiron]

Thanks, gents.

K Frame, I'd entirely forgotten you posted that,  and I even saved the recipe.  Early onset Alzheimers I daresay..

[zxcvbob]

I see vegetable broth for sale in cans/boxes at grocery store. Growing up I remember one of the churches did creamed cod and potatoes for a meal once or twice a year. Wasn't Catholic, but I wish I could remember.

Yes, but "Grandma" probably didn't use it.   When I was growing up we didn't have fish gravy (tuna casserole doesn't count), but we ate a lot of <whatever> with milk gravy over diced potatoes.  Mama used bouillon cubes; beef or chicken.  I'm pretty sure she learned that from her mom, or from Home Economics class.

I'm just saying if you're trying to replicate something from 50+ years ago, use bouillon cubes.  Or add carrots, celery, onion, and bayleaf to the water when you cook the dried fish and use that broth.  Vegetable broth might be better but it's unlikely to be authentic.  (if you have shrimp shells, they make excellent fish broth and that might be authentic too.)

[French G.]

I sometimes buy seafood stock but when I am trying to increase liquid in a seafood soup my go to is clam juice.

[charby]

Yes, but "Grandma" probably didn't use it.   When I was growing up we didn't have fish gravy (tuna casserole doesn't count), but we ate a lot of <whatever> with milk gravy over diced potatoes.  Mama used bouillon cubes; beef or chicken.  I'm pretty sure she learned that from her mom, or from Home Economics class.

I'm just saying if you're trying to replicate something from 50+ years ago, use bouillon cubes.  Or add carrots, celery, onion, and bayleaf to the water when you cook the dried fish and use that broth.  Vegetable broth might be better but it's unlikely to be authentic.  (if you have shrimp shells, they make excellent fish broth and that might be authentic too.)

 

Canned broth veggie or meat came out in the middle 19th century.

There is written recipes for veggie broth back into the 17th century.