What is Brandade?
Brandade is a food made mainly of salt cod and olive oil. Both ingredients are mixed together to create a strong paste with a texture similar to whipped creams. Food is a traditional item in several Western European cuisines, especially in France, although each particular country or region can add additional ingredients to the basic recipe.
The brand production process usually begins with the preparation of salt cod for use. Salt Cod is a cod, a Whitefish with a scaly texture that has been preserved by stored in salt a few weeks before dehydrat and wrapping. To be used for cooking, the salty cod must be soaked in cold water for a long time to remove excessive salt used for preservation and moisturize the dried fish again. The fish are generally placed in a cold water bowl and is stored in the refrigerator for one to two days before use.
Once the salty cod is prepared, the bones and the skin are removed and the meat is cut into pieces. Olive oil with usualLE warms up in a pan with a heavy bottom on the hob until it is hot, then pieces of salt cod are added to the hot oil. In order to soften the salty cod into a texture similar to puree, it is gently mixed until it is hot enough to lightly melt into the oil. Continuous mixing of fish and oil is usually recommended that the mixture is as smooth as possible. When the bowl has reached the desired consistency, it is generally served hot with bread or potatoes as an accompanying attachment.
Some recipes for Brandia call to add milk or strong cream to a mixture of cooked salt cod and olive oil. This creates a creamy texture for the last meal. The milk or cream version is often used in French cuisine. Spanish versions of the bowl may include chopped tomatoes or artichokes mixed in salt cod as they complete cooking. Crushed Garlic can also be added to increase the food. Other possible variations of home cooks include the addition of boiled potato puree, chestnuts or croutons.
Modern chefs can also perform variations of bowls using other types of fish or cooking methods. Slapping cod is not easily accessible all over the world, so some chefs can replace other scaly fish such as trout, instead of cod. A spoonful of fish and olive oil mixtures can also be covered with eggs and bread crumbs and fried to invite the brand licking.