CookEat Recipe
Salt Cod and Potato in White Sauce
Poached salt cod and potato pieces folded into a rich milk sauce with parsley and a little nutmeg.
Method
Steps
Step 1
Gather the ingredients: 400 g ready-desalted salt cod, drained weight; 70 g butter; 30 g plain flour; 1 potato, about 150 g; 350 ml milk; 1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley; A small pinch ground nutmeg; Salt only if needed after tasting; Water for poaching and boiling.
Step 2
Use ready-desalted salt cod kept at 4°C or colder. If starting with dried salted cod, complete the supplier’s cold-water desalting instructions in the refrigerator beforehand; that variable soaking time is additional to the stated recipe time. Put the fish in cold water to cover, bring gently to a simmer and cook until opaque and at least 70°C, about 5–10 minutes depending on thickness. Drain, remove the skin and every accessible bone and separate into pieces.
Step 3
Meanwhile, boil the potato in water until tender, about 20–25 minutes depending on size. Drain, peel when safe to handle and cut into small chunks.
Step 4
Melt the butter in a saucepan, stir in the flour and cook gently for 1–2 minutes without browning. Whisk in the milk gradually, bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 5–8 minutes, stirring, until the flour is cooked and the sauce is smooth. Stir in the parsley and nutmeg, then the potato. Taste before adding salt because the cod may still be salty.
Step 5
Fold in the warm cod pieces carefully and heat gently for a few minutes without breaking them to a paste. Let stand off the heat for about 3 minutes and serve promptly as four small portions.
Step 6
For the optional egg border, boil 2 eggs until both white and yolk are firm, about 10–12 minutes. Cool briefly in cold water, peel and cut into wedges to arrange around the dish. The eggs are not part of the white sauce.
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