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.
Pasteis de Nata baked fresh at our in house bakery. Portugal Imports (Link to our yelp) Packed and shipped next day for maximum freshness. If you would prefer them to arrive on a certain date please specify in the comments field when placing your order. These are available for delivery Wednesday thru Friday. Orders should be placed 36 hrs in advance of desired delivery date.
Storage Instructions
You may freeze the Pasteis de Nata or store outside the fridge in a cool shaded spot for a couple more days upon receiving them. Before you eat if you would like you can re-warm them for 20 minutes at 325 degrees in an oven will give you the crispy creamy texture again.
IMPORTANT: IF SHIPPING TO SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA OR HENDERSON / LAS VEGAS NEVADA AREA. IT WILL INSTEAD SHIP THE NEXT BUSINESS DAY AND WILL LIKELY ARRIVE IN 1 DAY.
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