Persetorsk – Sugar and Salt-Cured Codfish

This is a traditional dish from Bergen, mostly served on festive occasions.

INGREDIENTS:

Serves four people

1,8 pounds, 800 g of fresh cod leaves, skin on

2 ounces, 50 g salt

2 ounces, 50 g sugar

2 tablespoons finely chopped dill

4 ounces, 100 g bacon in small cubes

For the sauce:

3 tablespoons creme fraiche

4-6 tablespoons white wine or 1-2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

1 shallot, finely chopped

1 tablespoon chopped dill

a handful of chervil, coarsely chopped

3 tablespoons green peas

Garnish:

boiled potatoes

pea puree

trout roe

PREPARATION:

The fish must be lightly cured for 24 hours before making the final preparations.

Do like this:

Preparations the day before serving:

Lay the piece of cod in a large baking tray, skin side down. Sprinkle salt, sugar and dill over the meaty side of the fish. Then turn the fish around so that it lies skin side up, and pull plastic film over the tray. Add something heavy that pushes the entire fish piece down, such as four flat dinner plates. Store in refrigerator for one day, turn the fish after a few hours.

On serving day:

Rinse the fish well in cold water. Cut the fish into four equally large pieces.

Fry bacon on medium heat and remove them when cooked nice and brown, but keep the fat in the pan! Fry the fish skin side down in the bacon fat. Use gentle heat so the fish skin does not burn. Fry until the skin is crispy and the meat of the fish flake up.

How to make the sauce:

Give the crème fraiche a short boil in a saucepan. Season with wine (alternatively vinegar) and add shallots, chervil and green peas.

Dress each serving plate with a piece of cod, pour over sauce, add potatoes and garnish , and also bacon dice and trout roe.

Serve with almond potatoes and pea purée.