Thursday, April 5, 2012

Salt Cod, Orange, and Olive Salad

I have this one last citrus dish to sneak in here at the tail end of the season. This is from an article I cut from Delicious magazine two years ago, and the recipe is included on Taste.com. It’s one of those salads that look so pretty in the photo you know it’s going to taste great. I can’t help but be drawn to food like that. With several colors on a plate, there’s bound be a good mix of flavors as well. In this case, there are sweet, brightly-colored orange segments, briny and dark, black olives, pale and mild, soaked salt cod, peppery, pretty, green watercress, and some bite from skinny slices of red onion. I know some people fear that salt cod is going to be stinky or difficult to prep, but it really isn’t. I buy salt cod at Whole Foods that comes in a little wood box, and there’s no smell at all when it’s opened. I soak it in a bowl of cold water covered with plastic wrap that I leave in the refrigerator, and I change the water each day while soaking the fish for three days. The kind I buy is boneless and mostly skinless, so there’s very little work involved other than soaking. Once the salt is removed by soaking, the flavor is mild just like cooked fresh cod.

So, you do have to plan ahead when working with salt cod since it does need to be soaked for two to three days to remove the salt. For this dish, after the salt cod had soaked for a few days, it was then simmered in milk with parsley sprigs, thyme, and bay leaves. After the milk with herbs and salt cod came to a boil, it was left to sit, off the heat, to infuse for about 15 minutes. Then, the fish was removed and chilled in the refrigerator. While the fish chilled, the vinaigrette was made with garlic, sherry vinegar, white wine vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, and orange juice. To build the salad, chunks of the salt cod, thinly sliced red onion, orange segments, black olives, and watercress were tossed with the vinaigrette and then plated with parsley leaves. A mix of black olives is suggested, and I used some oil-cured black olives, black picholines, and some kalamatas.

Oranges and black olives are a classic pairing, and that fruity and briny combination was a lovely thing with the chunks of cod and fresh watercress and parsley. You have a great dish when all the components’ flavors go together so well and everything looks so good together at the same time.


26 comments:

  1. love this - so beautiful, vibrant, and full of flavor!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I am loving oranges in salads lately and they would be the perfect balance against the salty olives and cod here. Love the look of your salad!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I think we have similar food on the brain.
    Look at my salad today, almost the same photos!!!

    ReplyDelete
  4. The salad is as beautiful as you thought it would be! I've never tried salt cod but then my experience with fish that don't swim in the Gulf of Mexico is somewhat limited. Fish preserved in salt in a box... intriguing. Norwegian, isn't it?

    ReplyDelete
  5. This is truly a mouthwatering dish. Like you, I love trying recipes that are full of color. And anything with orange is a winner!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Beautiful...healthy, light and the citrus h=just perfect for that cod.
    Ronelle

    ReplyDelete
  7. A light and beautiful spring salad! I love it.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Look beautiful !! Nice Lisa! happy easter!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Lisa, my whole family in Brazil would go crazy for this salad - they love salt cod, a popular food item in Brazil, due to the Portuguese colonization.

    I confess to having "issues" with it, a bit too fishy for me, but this salad looks so beautiful, I would give it a try

    ReplyDelete
  10. I love salt cod and have never seen a recipe for a salad using it. I will keep this idea.

    ReplyDelete
  11. This is an absolutely stunning dish! I've never cooked with salt cod, but this post makes it less intimidating. It's good to know that the fish gets a solid two to three day soak before cooking.

    ReplyDelete
  12. I'm sure that you are right..this salad sounds and looks like something that is looks and tastes great :) The combination of cod and orange in a salad should be interesting and yummy

    ReplyDelete
  13. Salt od is one of those ingredients that people may have had a bad experience with if it is not cooked properly. I am here to say it can be one of the most delicious food ever.

    ReplyDelete
  14. So beautiful, Lisa! I'd love to try salt cod!

    ReplyDelete
  15. This sounds amazing. I ate a lot of delicious salted cod in Spainand have been craving more of the same since I got back. I just did not want to end up wiht a big bacth and run out of ideas. I should have known you'd take care of that for me.

    ReplyDelete
  16. what an interesting blend! i won't lie--two of the three main ingredients disagree with me, but it's a lovely salad to behold!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Hi Lisa! Wow! You've really made quite a dish here! I love all the flavors and the novelty of it all!

    Thank you so much for sharing...

    ReplyDelete
  18. What a deliciously colourful array of tastes, texture and colours! I really gravitate towards salt cod dishes on a menu :)

    ReplyDelete
  19. This is such a pretty salad and the flavours must be amazing. I'm a big fan of Delicious Magazing too! Happy Easter xx

    ReplyDelete
  20. I'm going to have to keep my eye out for this salt cod of which you speak at whole foods. I love the mix of salty and sweet and tart and tangy in this salad!

    ReplyDelete
  21. I love how bright this salad looks, and the addition of cod would make it a pretty filling but still light dish! Happy Easter!

    ReplyDelete
  22. Lisa, your salad looks so bright and fresh. I am such a fan of orange and black olives. And I have to admit, I've never bought salt cod. Once again you are inspiring me!
    -Erin

    ReplyDelete
  23. loving the idea of soaking the fish in milk and herb! The salad looks so delicious and perfect for the season.

    ReplyDelete
  24. I love salty dishes! This is really great for a light Summer meal :) Yum!

    ReplyDelete
  25. I did not know salt cod is avail. in Whole Foods!

    But again, it takes a creative and genius chef like you to know what you are putting together and source for great ingredients.

    ReplyDelete
  26. I still have loads of oranges on my tree. Looking forward to trying this lovely dish!
    LL

    ReplyDelete

Blogging tips