Salt cod can be hard to find. It takes some considerable time to prepare and, plus, codfish stocks are dangerously depleted. So what is a brandade maven like myself to do? Well, I recently “invented” a new dish by using smoked whitefish–something you can fish in almost any grocery or supermarket here in the States–to make brandade. The result was different but, to my taste, equally delicious.

It’s also very quick and easy to make. Just plop skinned and boned smoked whitefish into a food processor, add some sliced potato and garlic cloves that you will have previously simmered in equal parts milk and water, process, adding equal parts olive oil and cream (or milk) bit by bit until have a smooth puree. Serve with slices of baguette, toasted or browned in a bit of olive oil. (Today I brushed them with oil and browned them in a dry non-stick skillet.)

Notes

Purists disdain the addition of potato to brandade, but whitefish has a very strong taste, so I’d recommend that particular bit of heresy in this case.

PS: After feeling proud of myself for this discovery, I did a Google search and found out, alas, that any number of people have beat me to it… oh well, it’s still very good!

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