Provincetown Creamed Codfish Recipes

CODFISH CHOWDER

Steps:

• Cook bacon in a soup pot over medium heat until crisp and brown, about 10 minutes. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon, leaving drippings in the pot. Cook and stir onion and red bell pepper until softened, about 5 minutes; season with salt and pepper. Stir in garlic and seafood seasoning and cook and stir 2 more minutes.
• Pour in chicken broth and stir in potatoes and corn; add water if needed to cover vegetables. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low; simmer until potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes. Stir in milk and butter until butter has melted; mix in reserved bacon. Bring the soup just to the boiling point and stir in cod and parsley; cook, stirring occasionally, until fish flakes easily, 5 to 8 minutes.

CODFISH CAKES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add onion, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Cook until onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Set aside.
• Cut fish into large chunks; pulse in a food processor to coarsely chop. Transfer to a medium bowl. Add onion, tarragon, egg, and Tabasco, and combine well. Add remaining salt and pepper. Form 8 patties (3 inches each); dredge them in breadcrumbs, shaking off excess.
• Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Cook 4 patties until browned, about 4 to 5 minutes on each side. Remove to a baking sheet, cover with aluminum foil, and keep warm in oven. Wipe out skillet, return to heat, and add remaining olive oil. Cook remaining patties, and serve immediately with tartar sauce.

CODFISH WITH CREAM

Steps:

• Soak the dried salted cod in cold water with the skin side up for 24 hours, changing the water about 4 times. Drain and discard the water.
• Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Place the cod in a pan with enough water to cover; bring to a boil and cook for 10 minutes. Remove the cod from the pan; remove and discard the skin and bones. Cut the cod into chunks and set aside.
• Heat 1/2 inch vegetable oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches if necessary, fry the potatoes in the hot oil until just cooked, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels to drain.
• Pour the olive oil into a Dutch oven or heat-proof casserole dish over medium heat. Cook the onion and garlic in the oil until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the cod and cook another 3 minutes; stir the potatoes into the mixture and cook another 1 to 2 minutes. Reduce heat to low.
• Melt the butter in a separate pan over medium-low heat; vigorously stir the flour into the melted butter. Slowly stream the hot milk into the mixture while stirring; cook and stir until thick. Season with the nutmeg. Pour into the casserole with 1 1/3 cups cream; stir to coat. Allow the mixture to simmer together for about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Drizzle remaining 2/3 cup cream over the mixture; sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese.
• Bake in the preheated oven until the top is browned, 30 to 40 minutes. Serve hot.

PROVINCETOWN CREAMED CODFISH

Steps:

• Flake codfish.
• Melt the butter, add flour and stir until well incorporated; add hot milk and pepper.
• Stir over medium heat until boiling.
• Add fish and beat well.
• Add beaten egg yolk and stir well.
• Serve at once.
• **Variation: Add 3 hard-cooked eggs, chopped, to the creamed fish before filling the potato shells. Add mashed potato, brush with melted butter and place under hot broiler until golden.

SAUTEED COD WITH CREAMED CORN AND SUMMER SUCCOTASH

Steps:

• For succotash:
• Cook beans in large saucepan of boiling salted water until just tender, about 5 minutes. Using slotted spoon or strainer, transfer beans to colander; reserve cooking water. Rinse beans with cold water. If using fava beans, peel off outer skins and discard. Add corn kernels to reserved cooking water and cook until just tender, about 1 minute. Drain. Return beans and corn to same saucepan. Mix in tomato, Italian parsley and extra-virgin olive oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be prepared 2 hours ahead. Let stand covered at room temperature. Rewarm over low heat before serving.)
• For creamed corn:
• Place 4 cups corn kernels in processor. Puree until liquid is released from corn, about 3 minutes (mixture will still be coarse). Transfer pureed corn to strainer set over large measuring cup. Press on solids in strainer to extract at least 3/4 cup juice; discard solids. Transfer corn juice to medium saucepan. Stir over medium heat just until juice begins to thicken, about 45 seconds (do not boil or juice may curdle). Add remaining 3 cups corn kernels and whipping cream to saucepan and stir just until corn is heated through, about 2 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove creamed corn from heat; cover to keep warm.
• Pour enough vegetable oil into heavy large skillet to reach depth of 1/4 inch. Heat over high heat. Sprinkle cod fillets with salt and pepper. Add fillets to skillet and cook until golden brown and center of each fillet is just opaque, about 4 minutes per side. Divide creamed corn equally among 4 plates. Top each serving with sautéed cod fillet. Spoon succotash atop each fillet and serve.