Salt cod is a rare treat around here.  In fact, I don’t think I had cooked with it since culinary school.  Salt cod, as the name implies, is simply cod that has been heavily salted and dried.  It can then be rehydrated and used in a number of dishes including traditional fritters from both Portugal and Spain.  Another favorite is a salt cod and potato dip or sorts called brandade that is also extremely good.  Anyway, you can find salt cod on the Internet available for order or I’m sure you can ask your local butcher shop to order it if you prefer to go that route.  Either way, I would definitely recommend giving this a try at some point.  It’s great for a Saturday night with the family or a few friends.

One thing of note:  when frying, use a pan big enough to accommodate the amount of oil called for in the recipe while still having plenty of room left in the pan because the oil will bubble up.  That’s a good thing.  It’s a bad thing if it bubbles up and the pan isn’t big enough because it will bubble over and, best case, cause a mess and, worse, cause a really bad burn.

Another note and this is sort of a pain, but you have to plan ahead with this as the rehyrdation process involves soaking it for a 12-48 hours depending on just how salty it is.  Plan on a full 48 hours just to be safe!

Pimenton is simply a smoked paprika from Spain.  It really is something special and definitely worth getting.  it imparts a really unique flavor that isn’t captured by other smoked paprikas.  Of course, if you need to, feel free to substitute smoked paprika or regular paprika in the aioli.  It will be tasty either way.  Trust me, though…get the pimenton.  You won’t be disappointed!

The recipe for the salt cod fritters can be found here.

The aioli can be made by making a basic mayonnaise.  I used a whole egg and one egg yolk as the whole egg gives it a creaminess that is better suited for dips.  Otherwise, it’s pretty straight forward.  The recipe for the aioli follows after the jump…

Spicy pimenton and roasted garlic aioli:

Ingredients:

1 egg

1 egg yolk

1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 Head roasted garlic

1 Teaspoon hot pimenton

1 Cup canola oil

1/4 Cup olive oil

Sea salt to taste

Instructions:

• Combine all the ingredients expect the oil in a food processor.  Pulse to combine.
• Turn the processor fully on and then after a few seconds, begin adding the oil very slowly into the food processor.  Stopping and starting again, continue slowly adding the oil, allowing it to incorporate and then continuing on slowly until the oil is completely incorporated.
• Add a pinch of sea salt.
• Refrigerate until ready to use.  Can be made a day ahead and will last about 1 week stored in an air tight container in the refrigerator.