How they dry fish in Norway. Extraordinary cod. The meaning of the word "crack"

I am fulfilling the promise I made at the end of the post about Bergen.

A story about the connection between Norwegian dried cod and sunny Portugal.

During my first visit to Portugal, I noticed a specific product that was found in almost all stores and markets.

It looks like a sail spread out in the wind.
And it’s called very prosaically – cod (dried and very salted).
By the way, there is no fishing for this fish off the coast of Portugal.

Why is there a dominance of cod in Portugal? I didn’t dwell on this issue. Well, oversalted dried roach of huge sizes is sold in wild quantities, and let him sell it to himself. Is there nothing else to see in Portugal? Maybe this is to please German tourists - distinguished beer lovers. With this quite logical assumption, I closed the cod question for myself.

But a year later he unexpectedly surfaced again during a trip to Norway. At the Bergen fish market, the same cod sails fluttered in the wind as in Portugal. DjVu, however... Now two countries have already lined up in the chain - Portugal and Norway.

There is also something to do in Norway. Norwegian beauties have once again pushed the obsessive fish issue off the agenda. And I happily forgot about him.

The epiphany came unexpectedly. By that time, I had already registered in the live journal, joined the ru_travel community, where I read in one of the posts (I’m sorry, but I don’t remember the author) the keyword - bacalhau (Port. bacalhau - cod).
In Norway, salted and dried cod is called klippfisk.

Here's a story about how klippfisk and bacalhau are connected.

Portuguese travelers, discoverers of new lands, needed food for long sea voyages. And it could be dried fish. It is stored for a very long time, light and compact. But there are no suitable varieties found off the coast of Portugal. Persistent sailors went in search, and in the Canadian northern waters they caught cod in a net.

Thus, it was the Portuguese who discovered to the world our beloved and so familiar fish. They also invented hundreds of delicious dishes made from dried cod, which became their main national product. Here’s a paradox: fish from the northern seas is the basis of the traditional cuisine of sunny Portugal.

Nowadays, the Portuguese do not go a hundred seas for cod, but buy it mainly in Norway and Russia.

So, thanks to LiveJournal and my love of travel, I discovered the meaning of the mysterious word bacalhau.

But that's not the end of the story.

In the summer of 2014 we vacationed in Portugal again. Well, for me it was already a matter of honor to complete the investigation and taste this wonder. To get an idea of ​​uncooked bacalhau, just chew a pinch of salt.

Its true flavor is revealed in traditional Portuguese recipes. They are extremely simple, but the dishes turn out incredibly tasty. We tried several options in restaurants.

And I took the risk of making “Bacalhau a Bras” myself. I found the recipe on the Internet. In Portuguese stores, in addition to whole dried cod, they sell fish already cut into pieces. I used this option to save time.

List of required products:

bacalhau,
potato,
olive oil,
onion,
black pepper,
garlic,
parsley,
eggs,
salt.

Simple. But the whole secret is to pre-soak the salted cod for 24 hours. It cannot be replaced with ordinary fresh fish - your creation will certainly turn into a sticky mass during the cooking process and will have nothing in common with salted bacalhau dishes.

The result of my research and culinary activities!

"Bacalhau a Bras".

The Portuguese prefer this delicacy with “green” white wine.

Bon appetit or welcome to Portuguese Norway!

Norway. Scandinavian mood. Part 1 - http://tatianasenakh.livejournal.com/8609.html

Transfer Helsinki – Stockholm. Part 2 - http://tatianasenakh.livejournal.com/9282.html

Stockholm. "Junibakken". Part 3 - http://tatianasenakh.livejournal.com/9507.html

Stockholm. Gamla Stan. Part 5 -

Any predator can get food. But to preserve it in such a way that even after a week you can eat in peace is only human. And yes, no matter what all sorts of strange personalities say, man is an omnivore with an emphasis on meat. It’s just that it’s really difficult to preserve this meat. Fortunately, ancient man had at his disposal a huge space for experiments, a lot of time and excellent motivation: “If you don’t come up with something, you’ll die of hunger.” And it is not surprising that there were ways to store food for a long time.

Today we will talk about an old Norwegian recipe that has long been practiced by fishermen. About salty and dried cod. Why about her? But because, due to its special composition, it was cod that best tolerated intense salting and drying. The fact is that this fish stores fat mainly in the liver, and not in muscle tissue. Therefore, it produces an almost pure protein that tolerates denaturation well. But the ancient Norwegians did not yet know such complex words, but they were well aware that cod was best suited for salting.

And not only Norwegians. Almost all inhabitants of the Atlantic coast appreciated the features dried cod. And, of course, they called the treated food product by their own names. The Portuguese and Spaniards have bacalau, among the Scandinavians and Danes - Cliffisk, among residents of West Africa - makayabu, among the population of the northern part of Russia - labardan. But the essence remained the same everywhere. Gutted cod, generously salted and thoroughly dried in the sun. It can be stored for more than a year; there is no need to protect it from moisture.

The recipe turned out to be so universal that even now, when most fishing ships are equipped with industrial refrigerators, they still continue to salt and dry cod right on board. True, sometimes incidents happen. For example, the legendary masterpiece of “punitive cooking” lutefisk appeared precisely as a result of the fact that salty and dried cod It was accidentally covered with ashes from a burnt warehouse, and then it rained heavily. As a result of a chemical reaction, the fish interacted with the alkali and, in fact, deteriorated. But not completely. And now Norwegians sometimes eat it. But about “punitive cooking” some other time.

“But why do we need all this?” - you ask. “If you have to survive in the Russian outback, where the hell will I catch cod. And I don’t have many chances on the ocean shore either.” But the fact is that you can salt and dry not only fresh, but also frozen fish. And now you can find it without problems, as well as prepare it for future use. So let's listen further.

Yes, the ideal option would be to work with freshly caught fish. Gutted, beheaded, partially cut in half, opened until flat and salted in this form. This is a classic recipe. However, variations are acceptable. You can, as already mentioned, use pre-frozen and cut fish. The taste will not be the same, but it can actually be stored much longer. You can remove the spine first, or you can leave it. You can use not dry crystalline salt, but a saline solution in which fish carcasses are immersed for several days. You can even salt it several times if one procedure is not enough. You can use oppression in combination with saline solution. You can even dry it not in the sun, but in an electric dryer, as is done during the industrial preparation of salted and dried cod. In short, there are many options.

In short, the preparation itself of salty and dried cod- not a very difficult task. In fact, there is no single recipe regarding how much salt you need, how long to salt and how long to dry it. Typically, a kilo of salt is used per kilo of fish, salted for 20 days and dried in the sun for a week. At the same time, the ambient temperature should not be too high - 23-27 degrees, and good ventilation is desirable. In any case, you should end up with a damn hard and very salty fish carcass that you can work with further. And before work, be sure to soak the cod, and in several waters - otherwise it will be too salty.

So, dear preppers, take this recipe for yourself. You never know what can happen - salty and dried cod It will certainly not be superfluous in your secret caches.

Let's start with the fact that the notorious Bacalhau is a commonplace cod.

At one time it was found in abundance in Portuguese territorial waters, and was a favorite dish of the poor. Since the need for invention is cunning, it is generally accepted that in the canonical Portuguese cuisine there are a thousand and one recipes for preparing bacalau.

Bacalau dishes, as a rule, are very simple and satisfying - this is something you need to keep in mind when you order this Portuguese delicacy in a restaurant.

The Portuguese love bacalhau. They say that there are 365 recipes for preparing it for every day of the year. There are even restaurants whose menu is based on bacalau.

The most popular bacalau dishes:

Bacalhau assado no forno - bacalhau in the oven (oven) - served in one piece with potatoes as a side dish.
Bacalhau com natas - bacalhau with cream - the dish is served in the form of a casserole of boiled cod, onions, garlic, potatoes, seasoned with creamy sauce and baked in the oven.
Bacalhau a Gomes de Sa - bacalhau, and Gomes de Sa - served in the form of mixed boiled ingredients - cod, potatoes, eggs, seasoned with a large amount of olive oil.
Bacalhau a Bras
Bacalhau espiritual - inspired by Bacalhau - served like Bacalhau with cream, but with the addition of carrots
Pasteis de bacalhau - bacalhau pies

In Portugal, bacalau is sold specially prepared in a form that, at first glance, is strange to us. Freshly caught fish without a head is cut along the spine (as if filleting, but the back is not cut all the way through), unwrapped, salted, aged, and then dried. And already in this form it is sold in all stores.

Where did this, at first glance, strange tradition of eating large amounts of salted fish come from? After all, according to statistics, every Portuguese person consumes 16 kg of cod every year. As we all know, the Portuguese are a people of great navigators and discoverers, and in conditions where voyages lasted several months, non-perishable products were very important. And salted and dried cod was perfectly stored and, of course, was an excellent addition to the diet. This same property of bacalau was very important when delivering fish inland.

Bacalau is an expensive fish. If you look at restaurant prices, bacalau dishes usually cost more than fresh fish dishes.

Bacalau is divided into several classes depending on its weight. The heavier, the more expensive. Fish is usually sold whole. It is hung and then cut using special cutting machines. But in supermarkets you can find both already cut and packaged bacalau, and already soaked and frozen.

The history of bakalau goes back more than 1000 years. Records have been found that back in the 9th century there were factories producing bacalau in Iceland and Norway. The Vikings discovered the possibility of harvesting cod. Since they did not yet know about salt, they simply dried the meat until it lost up to 5 times its weight and became hard as a board. The Vikings took it on long voyages as a long-lasting product.

But in the form in which bacalhau is sold to this day in Portugal, the world owes it to the Basques, who knew about salt and already in the year 1000 sold bacalhau aged, salted and dried.

Until the mid-20th century, the Portuguese themselves were engaged in catching and preparing bacalau. As we know, cod is a fish of northern latitudes, or more precisely of the seas around the North Pole. To catch and harvest cod, special ships were used, which sailed for six months from March-April to October.

The process of catching and storing cod at that time is interesting. Specially equipped sailing ships were used to catch bacalau. Small boats for one person - dories - were placed on them “in a stack” (to take up less space). Every day at 4 am, the Bacalau fishermen each took their dory and went to sea, where they caught cod on a hook. There were up to a thousand hooks, which were attached to special hooks. a rope that could be up to 1.5 km long. This was the only way it was possible to catch cod, because after it was hooked, it no longer struggled and calmly waited until it was lifted onto the boat.

At 4 o'clock in the afternoon they returned, lifted the catch onto the ship, where they immediately began working on the fish: cleaning, cutting and salting. This was a very crucial moment, because if at the last stage the work was not done properly, then the entire catch could be spoiled. If the catch was very large, then the fishermen who returned on board immediately joined the others and helped with the preparation of fish. They didn’t even have time to eat and rest; they immediately went to work.

Catching and harvesting bacalau was very hard and dangerous work. Cod fishing took place off the coast of Greenland, Norway and Canada, where temperatures are quite low, fog, storms and icebergs are frequent. Fishermen often suffered from the cold and the danger of getting lost in the fog and not finding their ship. Therefore, each dory boat was equipped with a small compass. They also used ropes with buoys up to 2 km long to make it easier to find the ship in the fog, but it was still not uncommon for fishermen to get lost and not return to the ship. At the end of the day after returning, the dories were lifted onto the main ship, cleaned, tidied up and stacked again until the next day.

Well, upon arrival in Portugal, the bacalhau was finally dried in the sun and then the fish was ready for sale and use.

The Portuguese are the largest consumers of cod in the world. Now, the Portuguese buy most of their cod from countries such as Norway and Russia.

Interestingly, bacalau used to be considered more of a food for the poor. They could rarely afford to buy fresh fish and cod was a “full plate” for them, as the Portuguese say: it was stored for a long time, was cheap and filling. At the same time, bacalau became a common ingredient of the Lenten table and over time it began to be served not only on fasting days, but also on major religious holidays: Christmas and Easter.

During World War II, food prices soared, including prices for groceries. And now this fish is considered noble and is served on major holidays.

I once wrote this text for CookEatSmile, but there I had to cut it in half. This is the original version :)

“We wait every year with hope that she will come, and with fear that this year she will choose a different path. But until today she has not let us down,” say Norwegian fishermen. She is an Atlantic cod, Skrei as it is called in Norwegian. Unlike coastal cod (Torsk), which lives off the Norwegian coast all year, Atlantic cod appears off the Lofoten Islands only during the spawning season, from February to April.

At this time, fishermen from all over Norway and other Scandinavian countries come to the Lofoten Islands. During these couple of months of the year, hundreds of fishing boats set out to sea every morning to harvest raw materials for the area's main export product - dried cod. Not only the fact that Atlantic cod comes specifically to the Lofoten Islands, but also the mild climate with lots of sunny days, made these places ideal for the production of this delicacy.

Gutted, headless cod are tied in pairs by their tails and left to hang on large wooden frames to dry. There are fish of different sizes in one bunch and it takes many years of experience to learn how to select the optimal pairs for the best result. Tørrfisk is the Norwegian name for this unsalted version of dried cod. Salted dried cod is called klippfisk. This name comes from the word klippa - rock on the coast, where it used to be dried.

From the end of April until the end of summer 400,000 sq.m. on the Lofoten Islands it is occupied by frames on which fish are dried. The fishy aroma surrounds you from all sides and, walking along the coast and raising your head up, you see a sky full of fish.

The center of the fishing and production of dried cod is the small town of O in Lofoten, most of this town belongs to the Larsen family, who have been the largest exporters of dried cod for many decades. They also own the museum of dried cod, where in an almost family atmosphere you can see how fish is cut, salted, dried, you can learn that there are 16 levels of quality of dried cod and what kind of fish is preferred in which country. There are countries where they prefer thin and long fish, and there are where they like thicker ones (I’m talking about fish, if anything ;-)) Cod is processed completely - tongues and caviar are considered a delicacy and are sold fresh in Norway in season, the caviar is also smoked and then it also hits the shelves in other European countries. At the same time (February, March) on the shelves in Germany, for example, you can find fresh Atlantic cod; it is sold under the Norwegian name Skrei. Part of the liver is used for canned food, and part of it is used to make fish oil. Previously, this was also one of the most important export goods of these places. Cod heads are also dried and exported to Africa.

Dried cod was not always considered a delicacy. In the Middle Ages it was the food of sailors and poor people. It was of particular importance for residents of lands far from the sea; dried fish was one of the most common products during Lent. Through sailors, it reached the Mediterranean countries and firmly settled in the kitchens of Italy, Spain, France and, above all, Portugal. It is the Portuguese who consume the largest amount of dried cod in the world. In Portuguese cuisine you can find countless recipes with Bacalhau (as it is called in Portuguese). But in Italy, Spain, and France there are no less recipes. In Venice, for example, in every restaurant you can find Baccala montecato or Baccala alle erbe, cold dried cod puree, in France - Brandade de Morue, hot dried cod puree, sometimes with potatoes, in Spain - options with tomatoes or various sauces.

This is what it looks like, a sky full of fish...

Salted dried cod

And unsalted

Heads. They are not thrown away anywhere, but are also dried. And then exported to Africa.

Fish of one of the highest grades of italiano grande, especially for the Italian market.

Fish press

But this fish has changed its place of residence and is lying at my house :-)

I used my electric dryer all summer and experimented with different dishes. What should I do, I love delicious food and hiking, but carrying heavy weights in the form of stew and eating pasta with it is of course a classic, but not my thing. Pasta can be deliciously prepared in a naval and other way.

In general, inspired by the preparation jerky, I decided to try to cook dried fish for the Crimean campaign. And at the same time I tried to dry shrimp and squid. Read about what came of it and what didn’t in today’s article. About my experiments with preparing dried meat for main courses.

I want to clarify right away. I don't make freeze-dried food that is deep frozen. I just buy this kind of food.

I personally dry ready-made, already cooked food, which can then simply be poured with boiling water and “restored”. I use a regular dehydrator for vegetables and meat. To brew my “sublimates” I simply boil water and use a burner, most often a Jetboil.

The first thing I decided to dry was ordinary Karelian trout. It is sometimes sold at a special price and is not very expensive, so it does not break the tourist’s pocket and is comparable to the price of good canned fish. And there is no point in talking about the difference in weight because it is too obvious.

Making dried fish for camping is very easy. In general, I always cook trout as simply as possible. I salt and add my favorite spices to the fish. And into the oven. Here I had 5 small fish. Let's just say one fish per meal.

After the fish was completely cooked in the oven, I took it apart into pieces, separated it from bones and skin and laid it out on drying trays. Only took 2 grates. The fish dries out approximately 4 times. As a result, I took purely fish on the hike, no tin from cans, no bones or skin. One fillet. Added to rice and mashed potatoes.

Dried cod

I came across dried cod back in Norway in Lofoten. There they dry it fresh, in the wind, for several months and it dries out 10 times! Restoring then takes just as long and requires a lot of water. But I somehow forgot about it and decided to dry the cod for the hike too. And not just like that, but stew it with vegetables and dry it.

I used the actual cod and removed the bones. I chopped onions, carrots and red peppers. All this was covered with knorr sauce.

I put everything in a baking bag and put it in the oven.

After 40 minutes I took it out and cooled it. Placed it on a wire rack and dried for 10 hours.

When dried it looks like this.

But it just doesn’t work out as a quick custard lunch or dinner. The cod remains half dry. Simply pouring boiling water over it for 10 minutes is not enough. But if you cook and simmer, the fish turns out very good. Vegetables are restored with a bang.

I made cod with bulgur, which I also pre-cooked and then dried. I just brewed it in freezer bags from Ikea. They let water through, which is not very convenient. It is much more convenient to brew in thermal mugs, then the water does not cool down longer. I have here's one from msr, with lid.

Almost everything (except cod) has fully recovered.

Shrimps

I decided to go for a walk like that, and tried to dry some seafood for the trip. Shrimp! Why not. Protein? Protein that muscles need. Well, yes, there is no fat, but I didn’t have a winter hike according to my plans.

I decided to prepare 2 options: vegetables with rice, cooked and dried together, and bulgur with vegetables, and shrimp separately, so that you can add them as desired and treat vegetarians with bulgur and rice)

As for vegetables, I took the simplest thing that is in every refrigerator. Garlic, onion, carrots and celery.

Stew the vegetables separately and add washed raw rice.

Or bulgur.

The whole thing is filled with water and simmered until cooked. I always cook bulgur this way in principle. A kind of vegetarian pilaf.

Separately, I fry the shrimp with garlic. In general, what is always lacking when hiking is a variety of tastes. When you cook food in this way and then dry it with this sauce, you get the very variety that is worth the trouble.

Everything is laid out on the dryer rack (it is advisable to buy a mesh because everything dries out and falls through).

Everything takes 10-12 hours to dry. Rice with vegetables dries out very well. Shrimp almost do not lose volume, but they do lose weight.

One serving doesn't take up much space at all.

We are trying to restore it. Just pour boiling water over a bag of dried food.

It turns out very well. Shrimps soak better than cod, but still not quite completely. But to the point where you can chew it. Maybe I just overcooked them when I was cooking them.

Rice is simply perfectly restored! It can be prepared simply with vegetables, following the recipe as I wrote about buckwheat. And then separately add dried meat for meat eaters, and dried cheese for vegetarians.

Squid

Before the pile, I decided to try drying the squid too. To close the issue of dried fish for a hike. I decided to cook it in the same way as the cod - bake it in the oven with vegetables. I decided to add green beans to the squid and cover it all with white sauce.

In the bag and in the oven. For half an hour. Squids either cook very quickly, or they take a long, long time. So I decided to languish them for a long, long time.

In the end it turned out very tasty in itself. I tried to restore it. Same story as with cod. Not an option if you just brew it. And not really an option at all. But green beans recover well.

If you don’t want to carry cans of stew with you, if you want to diversify your camping menu, if you don’t want to spend a lot of time cooking while camping, but want to enjoy the views while sitting on your butt, then freeze-dried homemade meals are a very good option. Yes, cooking at home takes some time, but then in nature you just relax.

You can choose any recipe for yourself while walking. You can even dry your favorite soup!