French Fridays: Salt Cod and Potato Purée from My Paris Kitchen

David Lebovitz salt cod and potato puree for Cook the Book Fridays on eatlivetravelwrite.comThis week’s Cook the Book Fridays recipe from David Lebovitz’ My Paris Kitchen is one I can’t say I remember ever seeing in a restaurant here in France although I have eaten it in people’s homes. Brandade de morue – or salt cod and potato purée – is a warm dish of puréed potatoes with de-salted salt cod mixed through with a generous helping of garlic, a few herbs and some cream. It’s served like an appetiser with toast and maybe a green salad. Perfect for the chilly temperatures right now.

I knew that finding salt cod without a lot of running around was going to be challenging so I went the cheat’s route – using regular cod. As many of you know I’m not much of a fish person so the idea of spending a long time looking for and procuring something I’m not mad about didn’t really fit in with my holiday plans (I’ve been working in slow motion since I arrived in France, it seems!) and I figured that since I was going to de-salt the cod anyway, why not skip a step (look away, purists!).

I know, I know, not the most authentic but maybe one day I will make it from scratch..

David Lebovitz salt cod and potato puree for Cook the Book Fridays from My Paris Kitchen on eatlivetravelwrite.comI halved the recipe and ended up with three little ramekins which was still WAY more than serves for two people so we’ll be making the little fritters from the book with the leftovers.

David tops his brandade with crispy breadcrumbs which is apparently not traditional but an element we all agreed was necessary – the purée is so silky smooth (even when we just mashed with a manual potato masher, no machine involved) that you need the crunch the breadcrumbs provide (mine are home-made from leftover baguette – which I would recommend, as opposed to tiny store-bought crumbs).

David Lebovitz salt cod and potato puree from My Paris Kitchen on eatlivetravelwrite.comWe enjoyed this with a green salad and some cheeses for a light supper. Definitely one that surprised me because I was not expecting to like it much. This was really tasty (thanks copious amount of garlic, cream and olive oil!) – the only thing it could have used was a touch more salt (not sure that would have been necessary had I used the actual proper salt cod). I’m looking forward to seeing how it translates to little fritters!

Get the recipe for David Lebovitz’s salt cod and potato purée here or on p 144 of My Paris Kitchen.

MyParisKitchenDavidLebovitz

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Disclosure: I was provided with a copy of “My Paris Kitchen” for review purposes. I was not asked to write about the book, nor am I being compensated for doing do. All opinions 100% my own.

16 thoughts on “French Fridays: Salt Cod and Potato Purée from My Paris Kitchen”

  1. Yummmmmm!!! Not a bad idea to use regular cod. I am not wils about fish either but this was delicious. You can´t go wrong with the garlic and olive oil. I would put it in little ramekins next time too. Happy new year!

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  2. I’m glad to hear your experiment with regular cod worked; it’s nice to know one could make this even if salt cod is nowhere to be found. Happy New Year!

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  3. Gorgeous and I agree with the breadcrumbs. I used panko, which also had a nice chunkiness to it (though not as good as homemade baguette!). Good to know that regular cod works. I was not a big fan of the brain space it took to remember to soak the cod and change the water 3 times. Glad I did it, but yeah. And I do feel a bit silly complaining about that. 🙂 Anyway, hope you’re feeling better!

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  4. Good job, Mardi, with the improvising. Your dish looks delicious. It is already January 1st, 2017 in France but I have to wait more than 4 more hours to turn the calendar here in Nevada.

    Bonne Année to you both and enjoy your holiday in France.

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  5. Your individual serving looks great! Ok, I amended it to just Brandade in my post! If and when I do find salt cod in Kuala Lumpur, will certainly give the original Brandade de morue a go! But this was delicious with salmon and it was hubby approved!

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  6. Your dish looks great, I have not made this as yet- took a little break with the busy holiday month. I plan to make up my missed recipes and will definitely use the ramekins. Thank you for the idea

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  7. I didn’t find salt cod in time, but I’ll make this when I make the fritters in a couple of weeks. I looks right my alley, so I’m excited to try it. I’m glad that you sort of liked it, being fish and all…

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