Dry fish comes to life

(March 4, 2004)

Norwegians prefer to eat their cod as fresh as possible. Nothing tastes quite like a piece of cooked cod straight from the ocean, served only with melted butter and new potatoes. In the old days, however, people were more familiar with dried varieties such as clipfish and stockfish.

Stockfish is cod that has been hung on poles and dried in the wind. Traders have for centuries taken the dried fish down to Euope in order to trade it for rare commodities such as wheat, wine and honey. Nowadays, it is most commonly used as the raw material for lutefisk -- a popular dish especially around Christmas both in Norway and in some communities in the United States.

Clipfish -- klippfisk in Norwegian -- has been salted and dried. The traditional method of making clipfish was to lay the fish out on bare rocks in the dry summer weather. The name klippfisk stems from the Norwegian word klippe, which means “rock.”

Today the process takes place in modern, thermostat-regulated drying rooms.
Clipfish is exported in big quanta to several countries, the most important being Spain, Portugal and Brazil, where it serves as the foundation for that all-important dish, bacalao.
On average, each Portuguese consumes 10 kilograms of bacalao every year.

In a speech to Portugal’s President Jorge Sampaio during his state visit to Oslo in February, Crown Prince Haakon noted that the fish provided a link between the two countries. “We are proud of the fact that your national dish is based on a Norwegian product,” he said.

He added that that it was paradoxical how Norwegians have to travel all the way to Portugal to learn about bacalao.

The traditional Norwegian way of eating clipfish was simply to steam it and serve it with potatoes, just as if it was a piece of fresh cod.
Over the last century, dried fish has lost its important place on the Norwegian dinner plate. An abundance of fresh, relatively affordable fish has rendered the dried variety a curiosity, something from the past.

Slowly, however, Norwegians are taking knowledge from the southern method of preparing bacalao. The dish is becoming trendy again.

But how does one start with a piece of dried fish and turn it into a delicious, tasty meal? Our house chef, Frode Selvaag, knows how.

“The most important thing to do before preparing this dish is to soak the fish properly and for a long enough period of time,” he says.

“The best way,” he adds with a smile, “is to follow the description on the package.
In the recipe below, Selvaag combines the salty clipfish with the sweet taste of rutabaga.
“The combination makes the fish more delicate while it retains its rustic and original flavor,” he says, adding that the fish also works very well on the barbeque in summer.


Oven-baked Norwegian Bacalao served on a bed of rutabaga puree with capers and olive salsa.
Serves 4
Bacalao, (salted and dried Norwegian codfish)
1 lb dried clipfish, preferably loin (the main part of the fish)

Capers and Olive salsa
1 shallot onion, finely chopped
20 black Kalamatra olives, finely chopped
4 tbsp Extra Virgin olive oil
1 tbsp Capers
1 tbsp Balsamic vinegear
4 grape tomatoes, each sliced in 4 pieces
1 tbsp chives, finely chopped.

Rutabaga puree
14 oz rutabaga, peeled and cubed
¼ cup heavy whipping cream
2 oz butter
Salt and pepper to taste
Lemon foam
¼ cup skim milk
Grated peel of one lemon

Instructions:
Soak the clipfish in cold water for at least 3 days. Change the water once. Cut it into 4 pieces. Grease a baking sheet with olive oil.
Prepare each ingredient in small cups, then mix all together, stir well with spoon. This sauce can be kept for five days in the refrigerator.
Peel the rutabaga, cut in cubes. Add water to cover. Boil until tender over medium heat.
Drain the water, mash the rutabaga with a masher, whisk or a handheld blender. When purèed, add the cream and butter and bring to boil. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cover with a lid or wrap in plastic film and keep hot.
Bring the skim milk to boil, add the grated lemon peel, beat. The foam is to be used for decorating the plate.
Bake the clipfish loins in a preheated oven at 395 degrees F for approximately 7 minutes.
As a general rule it is better to stop cooking the fish 1 minute before you think it’s done than to overcook – that way you will avoid dry fish loins.
Put the rutabaga puree in the middle of the plate and place the oven-baked bacalao on top of your rutabaga. Place the salsa around in a circle, sprinkle the lemon foam around.
Enjoy!