Salt cod — Atlantic cod (*Gadus morhua*) split, salted heavily, and dried until board-stiff — was the provision that built the New England economy, funded the American Revolution, and connected New England to the global trade network. The cod fishery off the Grand Banks powered the colonial economies of Massachusetts and Maine; the dried, salted product was shipped to the Caribbean (to feed enslaved people on sugar plantations — the cheapest protein available), to southern Europe (where it became the *bacalhau* of Portugal, the *baccalà* of Italy, the *bacalao* of Spain), and to West Africa. The Triangle Trade that moved enslaved people, sugar, rum, and salt cod around the Atlantic is the same trade network that connects the African diaspora entries in this database. Salt cod is the provision that makes the triangle visible on the plate. · Preparation
Cod cakes with baked beans. Creamed cod on toast with a poached egg for breakfast. Salt cod chowder. The rehydrated cod's dense, savoury flavour wants starch (potato, bread, beans) and acid (vinegar, lemon, mustard).
Not soaking long enough — under-soaked salt cod is inedibly salty. Boiling rather than poaching — the high heat contracts the proteins and makes the fish tough. Using low-quality salt cod — the best salt cod is thick, white, and from large fish. Thin, yellowish pieces are from inferior fish or are over-dried.
Cod cakes with baked beans. Creamed cod on toast with a poached egg for breakfast. Salt cod chowder. The rehydrated cod's dense, savoury flavour wants starch (potato, bread, beans) and acid (vinegar, lemon, mustard).
Not soaking long enough — under-soaked salt cod is inedibly salty. Boiling rather than poaching — the high heat contracts the proteins and makes the fish tough. Using low-quality salt cod — the best salt cod is thick, white, and from large fish. Thin, yellowish pieces are from inferior fish or are over-dried.
Salt Cod connects to similar techniques: Portuguese *bacalhau* (365 ways to cook salt cod — the Portuguese national ingre, Italian *baccalà* (salt cod in tomato, fried, or in cream — particularly Venetia, Spanish *bacalao* (Basque *bacalao al pil-pil*, the emulsified garlic-oil sauce).
This is the professional-depth technique entry for Salt Cod, including full quality hierarchy, species precision, and cross-cuisine parallels.
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