Cod brandada with mayonnaise or aioli

How to prepare brandade of bacacalo with mayonnaise or aioli .

When we talk about tapas, without a doubt, the Basque Country comes to mind. Place where ” pintxoteo ” is a religion and a way of understanding life.

You can find anywhere, town or city its bars full of dishes with pintxos of all kinds.

Being the cod in many of them, the star ingredient. A product widely used in Basque gastronomy, not only for its famous cod pil pil or the traditional Biscayan cod .

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That is why we could not stop publishing this simple cod brandade, where we substitute the oil and garlic for an aioli or mayonnaise (the best thing is that you make it homemade)

A way to reduce time and provide that creaminess that combines with cod . In addition, brandada fits perfectly into the so-called ” Easter ” recipes .

It is usually presented on a homemade bread toast, either alone or accompanied by roasted peppers or caramelized onions. As a base for other tapas or pintxos, even au gratin. Imagination to power for a level cap.

How to desalinate cod

1. If we choose the option of a salted cod fillet, we must desalinate it. To do this we must first cut it if it is very large.
2. Normally for this recipe it would be worth with a thin loin. Even with the cuts that we usually use for scrambled eggs, cold salads or to fill peppers.
3. To desalt the cod, the piece of fish must be covered in plenty of water. 
4. The thick parts will desalt for 48 hours, with water change approximately every 6 hours.
5. The finer parts will desalinate for 36 hours, with a water change every 8 hours.

Preparation of branded cod base

1. We start by cooking the large potato (or small potatoes) with skin (so that it does not absorb water) in a saucepan with boiling water.
2. We prick it with a fork to check that it is well made inside. We reserve aside so that it is tempered.
3. As soon as we can get our hands on it (without risk of burning ourselves), we remove the skin and cut it into small cubes. We reserve.
4. In a saucepan with water, submerge the portion of cod loin with the skin facing up. So that a finger of water remains on it.
5. We put to heat over medium heat until the water begins to boil.
6. We turn off the heat and remove the cod to a plate. We easily remove the skin and the central spine.
7. We are shredding the cod flakes and reviewing so that it does not have any thorn or piece of skin. We reserve.
8. In a saucepan, pour the milk and heat it over low heat. We want it to have some temperature but without boiling at any time.

Preparation and final presentation of the cod brandade

1. In a large bowl we toss the crumbled cod and the diced potato. Crush with the help of a fork.
2. We pass the hot milk to a jug and we are throwing it to the bowl, little by little, while we continue mixing and crushing with the fork. A homogeneous mixture will be formed.
3. We taste of salt and if necessary season with salt and pepper. Keep in mind that if you use salted cod, even if you desalinate it, some salt remains. As always, to your liking.
4. We are adding the aioli little by little, without stopping to beat the mixture, so that it is incorporated into the rest of the ingredients.
5. To make it more homogeneous we can give it a touch of a mixer, but it should be left with a lump.
6. Thus we will get a kind of soft cream. If we see that it is too thick, we add a little more milk.

The brandada itself is delicious, but for the presentation on the table we can add chopped fresh parsley.

You can see all the step-by-step photos of the cod brandada with aioli recipe in this album. Do not miss any detail and you will get a yummy brandade.