oven-baked salt cod with vegetables & chickpeasoven-baked salt cod with vegetables & chickpeasoven-baked salt cod with vegetables & chickpeasoven-baked salt cod with vegetables & chickpeasoven-baked salt cod with vegetables & chickpeasoven-baked salt cod with vegetables & chickpeasoven-baked salt cod with vegetables & chickpeasoven-baked salt cod with vegetables & chickpeasoven-baked salt cod with vegetables & chickpeasoven-baked salt cod with vegetables & chickpeasoven-baked salt cod with vegetables & chickpeasoven-baked salt cod with vegetables & chickpeas

In these uncertain times, how can you extend a delicious winter dish with salt cod to 4 servings (when it was initially intended for only 2) and add flavor by hardly increasing its cost ? Use the de-salting water of the salt cod as the brine for preparing all the extras !

I’ve made this dish before (for the blog), using the same amount of salt cod and an equal amount of potatoes and onions for a delicious 2 servings preparation.

In these worrisome times, I’m trying to stay positive but also to be more thrifty (than usual) because who knows when things will get back to almost normal, right ?! Subconsciously, I find myself calculating cost per serving, and it’s weird but I can’t help it.

Hence, I wanted to extend this originally 2 servings meal to 4 servings without sacrificing flavor and with little extra cost since salt cod costs (like most fish and seafood) costs 5 times more than the vegetables and chickpeas used here but only represents 25% of the total main ingredients of this dish.

The solution ? Use the soaking water of the salt-cod as the main flavoring element for all the additions by parboiling them separately (because different ingredients require different boiling times to achieve the same texture and/or tenderness) in this water instead of discarding it immediately and then baking them all together before adding the marinated salt cod only at the end, since it should still be tender and not over-baked nor dry.

It was a delight and it was enough for 4 full servings. Don’t forget the bread to sop up all those delicious lemony, fishy, herby, olive oil flavors.

Enjoy your weekend, stay safe & stay frugal … :)

oven-baked salt cod with vegetables & chickpeas

21.11.2020

4 servings x 450 grams each

ingredients

fish & vegetables & brine :

  • 400 grams (3 cups) salt cod (small boneless pieces)
  • 2,25 liters (9 cups) cold water
  • 400 grams (3 ½ cups) baby potatoes, washed, cut in half, skin on
  • 400 grams (3 ½ cups) small onions, peeled and sliced in half
  • 400 grams (2 ½ cups) cooked (canned or bottled) chickpeas
  • 45 ml (3 tbsp) white vinegar
  • 40 grams (3 tbsp) celery, short pieces or sliced 
  • 2 grams (3 whole) bay leaves
  • 1 gram (¼ tsp) black or green peppercorns, whole

marinade :

  • 180 ml (¾ cup) olive oil
  • 90 ml (¼ cup + 2 tbsp) lemon juice
  • 20 grams (1 ½ tbsp) garlic, crushed
  • 10 grams (¼ cup) fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, loosely packed
  • 10 grams (¼ cup) fresh dill fronds, loosely packed
  • 2,5 grams (1 tbsp) fresh rosemary needles
  • 1 gram (2 whole) bay leaves
  • 1 gram (¼ tsp) ground pepper
  • optional : 20 grams (1 ½ tbsp) salt-preserved lemon, finely diced
  • optional : 2,5 grams (½ tsp) pickled green peppercorns

 

  • *no salt is added to this dish because the vegetables are parboiled in the very salty salt-cod soaking and de-salting water

instructions

  • soak salt cod pieces overnight in 2,25 liters (9 cups) of cold water for a minimum of 12-16 hours, strain and reserve the salty water that will be the brine for the vegetables and divide in three (750 ml or 3 cups each)
  • *note : I use smaller salt cod pieces that are not salted and dried until rock-hard  but half-dried and softer ...
  • prepare vegetables and chickpeas and keep separate and combine each separately with 3 cups of the salty water, 1 bay leaf, 1 long piece of celery, 1 tbsp white vinegar and some peppercorns
  • parboil each type of vegetable or chickpeas separately : the cut potatoes for 10 minutes, the small onions sliced in half for 5 minutes, and the chickpeas for 2 ½ minutes, then let cool down and strain and discard the water
  • prepare the marinade (but do not add the lemon juice yet) and reserve ¾ of the total for the vegetables and chickpeas and ¼ of the total for the salt cod
  • toss the vegetables and chickpeas with the marinade and bake them at 200°C for 22-25 minutes
  • toss the salt cod pieces with the marinade, let sit for 15 minutes then add the marinated salt cod pieces on top of the baked vegetables and chickpeas, pour the lemon juice over everything (you could also add some lemon slices or chopped preserved lemon and pickled green peppercorns) and bake for an additional 10-12 minutes until cooked but tender, then add some extra fresh herbs leaves
  • serve warm with thick crusty bread for dipping into the lemon-olive oil sauce 
  • *to reheat leftovers, cover the dish with baking paper (to avoid drying out the preparation) and then aluminum foil (because acids should never come into direct contact with aluminum) and reheat at 180°C for 15-20 minutes.

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