Rehydrating and Desalting
Before consumption, salted fish products must be desalted. The length of the desalting process depends on the thickness of the fish and on how long it has been cured. It may take as long as 3 days for the thickest pieces. For the boneless skinless pieces or product typically only 1 day of desalting is necessary.
To achieve the best result we have provided these simple guidelines for the desalting process.
1. Take the precut portion of codfish and rinse excessive salt under the tap.
2. Place the fish in a large bowl of water covering the fish. The bowl of fish should be kept in cool conditions, during the whole process.
3. Change the water once a day.
4. Some of the thinner cuts of the fish are ready to be cooked
after 2 days. For the thickest cuts we recommend 3 days. After this process either cook or you may freeze for future use / ready to cook.
Before ending the desalting process you may break off a small piece and chew to get a sense of the salt level and decide to continue the process until the fish is to your salt preference.
EMERGENCY DESALT- If you find the fish is still too salty right before you are about to cook or serve it, you can do another par boil in milk which may accelerate the removal of the salt at the last minute and also tenderize it a bit (if you desire that).
Common Question about the appearance of the fish before this process –
Is dark or yellowish color bacalhau mean good, bad, old?
Most people do prefer the appearance of salted cod with a
lighter / whiter coloration. But for that to occur it means that
the codfish gets a lesser cure. Proper curing involves a heavy
salting process, plus good drying process. These two steps
give the fish a light yellow coloration and a unique flavor.
The images below show a loin that is not as light in color or attractive as some may want. However, you can see the progression as we soaked it – the color was restored to its natural state, the blemish disappeared and an elegant meal was made.
Cerified Origin Paella Rice from L’Albufera Nature Preserve in Valencia,Spain It is a short grain and variety with a pearled colour. Its size is equivalent to that of the short grain rice, sometimes even smaller, yet Bomba rice more than doubles its size when cooked. It is much harder than any other variety in the world, thus allowing it to absorb more liquid (more flavours!) and aromas and that when cooked it is always “al dente”, loose and whole. This rice maintains its consistency even under extended cooking; it never becomes sticky, fluffy, or mushy. The grains remain separate and individually loose from one ideal desired feature for paella cooking.
Bomba Rice - The best feature: It’s very difficult to overcook. Although it’s the ultimate for paella, it’s incredible for all types of rice dishes giving them its distinct, very appealing characteristics.
Which rice should I buy? (Extra or Bomba)
Bomba is recommended to three key audiences: Beginning cooks, Catering companies, and anyone who has better things to do than to hover over the stove
• For our beginner cooks, Bomba is best because it won’t overcook, it absorbs more liquid to ensure your paella isn’t soggy, and is consistent every time you cook paella.
• For Catering: Even when maintained warm for extended time, the rice will maintain it’s texture and shape without getting mushy.
• For everyone: Longer, more flexible cooking times with consistent results means you get to do what really matters. . .enjoy the art of making the paella instead of worrying about it!
How many servings are in a 1 (2.2lbs) kilo bag of paella rice?
1 kilo (1 Kg) of paella rice is generally enough for 10 servings. In more detail: Each 1 kilo bag contains 2.2 Lbs of rice, or about 4 cups uncooked rice. We recommend about 1/4 to 1/2 cup of rice per person.
How much water do I add to my paella rice?
Our 'Santo Tomas Extra' Paella rice requires 2 cups of water/broth per cup of uncooked rice. Our 'Bomba' Paella rice requires 2 1/2 to 3 cups cups of water/broth per cup of uncooked rice.
