Brandade de Morue
A silky French salt cod purée blended with creamy potatoes, garlic, and olive oil. Serve warm with crusty bread for dipping or toasted bread rounds.
- Total time
- 35 min
- Servings
- 4
- Calories
- 320
- Protein
- 28g
Ingredients
- 1 lb salt cod, skin and bones removed
- 1 lb russet potatoes, peeled
- 3 clove garlic cloves, peeled
- ½ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup whole milk, warmed
- 0 to taste salt and white pepper
Instructions
- 1
Place the salt cod in a large bowl and cover completely with cold water. Set the bowl in the refrigerator and soak for 24 hours, changing the water every 8 hours, until the cod tastes pleasantly salty rather than overwhelmingly briny.
- 2
After soaking, drain the salt cod and pat it dry with paper towels. Remove any remaining small bones you feel when you press your fingers along the flesh.
- 3
Cut the potatoes into 2-inch cubes so they cook evenly with the cod. Place them in a large pot with enough cold water to cover them by 2 inches.
- 4
Bring the water to a boil over high heat, watching until large bubbles break the surface continuously, about 8 minutes.
- 5
Add the drained salt cod and the peeled garlic cloves to the boiling water.
- 6
Reduce the heat to medium and simmer gently for 12–15 minutes, until a fork easily pierces the thickest part of the potato and the cod flakes apart when pressed gently.
- 7
Drain the cod, potatoes, and garlic in a colander, reserving 0.25 cup of the cooking liquid in a small bowl.
- 8
Place the cooked cod, potatoes, and garlic into a food processor or blender.
- 9
Pulse 5–6 times until the mixture is chunky but mostly broken down, about 10 seconds total.
- 10
With the processor running on low speed, drizzle in the 0.5 cup of olive oil slowly—about 30 seconds—until the mixture becomes pale, creamy, and emulsified, like thick mayonnaise.
- 11
With the processor still running, pour in the warmed milk and the reserved 0.25 cup of cooking liquid in a thin stream, about 20 seconds, until the brandade is fluffy and holds soft peaks when you lift the blade.
- 12
Taste the brandade and season with salt and white pepper, pulsing briefly after each pinch until it tastes balanced—salty and garlicky but not harsh.
- 13
Transfer the warm brandade to a serving bowl or spoon it onto a platter in a shallow mound.
- 14
Drizzle the top lightly with a small amount of extra virgin olive oil if desired, and serve immediately with sliced crusty bread or toasted bread rounds for dipping.
Tools you’ll need
- large bowl
- large pot
- colander
- small bowl
- food processor or blender
- rubber spatula
- serving bowl or platter
- paper towels
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