Remojón (salt cod and orange salad)

Remojón is a standard salad from Southern Spain that mixes salt cod and orange with easy garnishes. It could sound uncommon however the delicate flavors work so properly on this mild, tasty tapas.

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Salads in Spain are sometimes a quite simple affair. Many have just a few substances and will be made rapidly, good to serve alongside different dishes as a part of a tapas meal. One exception is ensaladilla rusa (a kind of potato salad), ever a favourite, although you possibly can put together the potatoes forward.

Quite a few Spanish salads are comparatively regional, drawing on the substances discovered domestically and suiting the local weather. In the South, a few of these are about being mild and recent, akin to with juicy tomatoes. And oranges are one other well-liked alternative so as to add refreshment and taste, as within the orange and avocado salad I share in my summer season tapas choice.

This salt cod and orange salad is one other splendidly easy mixture from Andalusia, typically credited as being from Granada. It’s simple to make, with only a handful of substances, and a beautiful mixture of flavors. And the one factor uncommon is the salt cod which is properly value getting conversant in.

What is salt cod?

Salt cod, often called bacalao in Spanish (and bacalhau in Portuguese) is just dried, salted cod fish. Salting cod is mostly dated again to the late 1400s/early 1500s when Europeans made their methods to the shores of the Americas.

Off the coast of Newfoundland, the Portuguese navy discovered huge portions of cod and wanted a option to protect it. Given the local weather did not swimsuit drying, they salted it as a substitute. It was the beginning of what is to this present day a nationwide obsession in Portugal.

As properly as changing into part of cross-Atlantic commerce, it additionally made it is option to Caribbean because it was a meals answer somewhat than taking away land from the sugar plantations.

While different locations do not eat salt cod fairly as a lot because the Portuguese, it is nonetheless well-liked in Spain and elsewhere. It has a beautiful taste that is gently fishy but additionally seasoned.

In Spain you may discover it utilized in salads, croquettes, stews and extra (like these salt cod stuffed piquillo peppers). And a traditional Portuguese dish value attempting is Bacalhau à Gomes de Sá made with salt cod, potatoes, onion and olive oil.

Preparing salt cod

While the upside of salt cod is that it’s shelf steady for a very long time, the flipside is it is advisable de-salt it earlier than you employ it. It can be far too salty, to not point out have an undesirable texture, in the event you tried to make use of it with out soaking in water first.

But whilst you want a bit of time, de-salting is very easy. You merely place the salt cod in a container and canopy the fish with chilly water. Refrigerate and go away a couple of hours, drain and repeat the method a couple of occasions.

Exactly how lengthy it is advisable soak the fish will depend on the thickness – often, you want at the very least 24 hours, however it may be 48 hours for thicker items of fish.

There is a slight stability to search out as soaking too lengthy could make the fish extra bland – having a slight saltiness is a part of what provides to the flavour. The solely certain option to know is to interrupt off a small piece and style it. It ought to have a slight saltiness, however not an excessive amount of or none.

After that, you drain and pat dry the fish earlier than utilizing in your recipe. You can retailer it within the fridge at this level for a day or two, as wanted. For many recipes, you poach the cod in water or milk, however you may also use it uncooked or grill/fry the fish as a substitute.

Variations on this salt cod and orange salad

Despite being extremely easy, you’ll find a couple of variations on this salad. This is partly regional, and half the cooks. Some cook dinner the fish, others do not. How you cook dinner it may differ, too. Some use inexperienced onions, others purple. You may add some onerous boiled eggs, however not all the time.

At it is core, although, is the slices of orange and cod (nevertheless it is ready), some type of onion, olives and olive oil to convey it collectively. Here I’ve used purple onion, as to me they really feel extra typical of the world and add a beautiful shade and chunk. I skipped the egg, however you possibly can add in the event you like.

I additionally selected to poach the cod in milk because it provides a beautiful juicy, delicate and nearly candy taste. But in the event you want to grill or use uncooked and slice, that works too.

Do take some time to arrange the oranges. You wish to get as a lot of the membrane off as doable so use a pointy, skinny knife to chop off all the skin. This leaves them very easy to eat and popping with juiciness.

While I undoubtedly assume you may get away with out utilizing the usually costlier thick loin items of salt cod (save that for once you need good massive chunks), you do need good high quality substances for this. You do not use many, so you’ll style them.

Remojón is a splendidly refreshing, vivid and lightweight salt cod and orange salad. It’s nice to function the begin to a meal or alongside different dishes as a part of a tapas meal. Colorful, with a beautiful stability of candy and savory, it is properly value having fun with.

Try these different salads with seafood:

• Tuscan white bean and tuna salad (a brilliant easy salad good for a summer season lunch or potluck)
• Yee sang (prosperity toss salad conventional for Lunar New Year however gratifying any time with sashimi, greens and fried wontons)
• Classic salade Niçoise (the traditional French salad combining tuna, beans, potato and extra)
• Plus get extra Spanish recipes within the archives.

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