Baked Salt Cod with Potatoes

Preparation

1. Soaking the Cod (24 Hours in Advance)

Place the cod in a large container, cover completely with cold water. Change the water 3 times over 24 hours (e.g. at soaking time, after 8 hours and after 16 hours). The optimal temperature is cool room temperature or the refrigerator — not warm water, as rapid soaking disrupts the texture.

After 24 hours, remove the cod, rinse under cold running water and press gently with your palm to feel whether salt remains — the flesh should be soft and mildly salty, not raw. Remove fins, skin (if not desired) and pick out the larger bones. Break the flesh into large pieces (6–8 cm).

Tip: if unsure how well you have desalted it, taste a small piece of the raw soaked flesh — it should taste like mildly salted fish, not seawater.

2. Preparing the Vegetables

Peel the potato and slice into rounds about 5 mm thick — not too thin (they fall apart) nor too thick (they stay undercooked). Slice the onion into half-moons. Slice the tomato into 1 cm rounds. Finely chop or grate the garlic.

3. Layering in the Baking Dish

Preheat the oven to 180°C (top and bottom heat). Use a deep heatproof dish or a clay pot — cod baked in a clay pot develops a special aroma.

Brush the bottom of the dish with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Lay the first layer of potatoes, seasoning only very lightly (the cod brings its own saltiness). Scatter the onion and bay leaves over the potato. Add the second half of the potatoes, then lay the cod pieces evenly over the surface. Tuck tomato slices and chopped garlic between the fish pieces and around the edges.

Drizzle the remaining olive oil and the white wine over everything. Scatter coarsely ground pepper generously over the top.

4. Baking

Cover the dish with aluminium foil or a lid and bake for 45 minutes at 180°C. Then remove the foil and bake for a further 15 minutes at 200°C to allow the surface to develop a light golden colour and the liquid to reduce into a rich sauce.

The cod is done when it flakes easily into layers — it should be neither rubbery nor dry.

5. Serving

Remove from the oven and leave for 5 minutes to settle. Scatter generously with fresh parsley. Serve directly from the baking dish — that is the traditional way. Perfect accompaniments: Swiss chard with oil and garlic, pickled radish salad or a simple green salad.

Tips

Different types of salt cod: pollock is a cheaper alternative to true Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) — there is a difference in flavour, but after soaking and baking both make an excellent dish. True Atlantic cod has whiter, firmer and less moist flesh.

If you do not have enough soaking time: rapid soaking (12 hours with frequent water changes) gives an acceptable result but the fish remains saltier. In that case do not season the potato and vegetables.

Clay pot: if you have a clay baking vessel, cod cooked in it develops a special aroma and texture — clay distributes heat evenly and retains moisture. Ideal for this recipe.

Leftover storage: salt cod with potatoes keeps in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Reheat slowly over low heat with a little water, or in the oven covered with foil.

Fasting character: this dish is strictly fasting-compliant — no dairy, eggs or meat. Perfect for the Nativity Fast (15 November to 6 January), especially for Christmas Eve and St Nicholas Day, as well as for Saturdays and Sundays of the Apostles’ and Dormition Fasts when fish is permitted.