My other blogs and websites

To my readers many thanks for reading.
I have been writting for a while about salt fish. I'm currently dedicating most of my time to the following websites / blogs. It's tough to maintain all blogs and websites at a good level without repetition of content, therefore I have made this decision to insure quality in all my blog articles and posts. You will always find interesting and current information ....

My Website and Blog in Portuguese:

Bacalhau Northern Fish
Bacalhau Dom Bacalhau

My Website and Blog in English

Salt Cod Northern Fish

My website in Spanish

Bacalao Northern Fish

My website in French

Morue Northern Fish

You can find many products either for end users either for industrial or intermediate usage. If you require any assistance, you can send us an email and we will be at your total disposal.
Once again many thanks for taking the time to read my blog, it has been a pleasure to share experiences with you.

New Website about salt cod is up and running!

To all my readers, I'm sorry for some slow writting. All in all I thank you very much!
Anyway, just to add that for salt cod and other saltfish, I'm building a multi-language platform for clients and audience.
You are invited to visit our salt cod and other saltfish websites....

In Portuguese for final consumer products, we have our premium brand for salt cod Dom Bacalhau ....
you can visit us at DomBacalhau.

In Portuguese, we have for distributors and other audience, we include salt cod and other saltfish, all of Norwegian origin, please visit us at Bacalhau.

In English, we will soon include a blog/information page on salt cod and other saltfish, you can find us at Saltfish .

In Spanish, we also have a special website for you at Bacalao.

Last but not least, we present to you our French website, to visit, just follow the Morue link.

Saltfish is a worldwide product, from South America to Europe, many cultures use these fine products in different and very creative ways.

Makayabu and Ambassade African & Caribbean delight

Not many salt fish processors have given much attention to Makayabu & Ambassade, however in the last few years these products are starting to become major production for many processors. And therefore have become major priority for many producers.
We see many African countries constantly increasing imports of these products and worldwide the demand is growing.
We have to bear in mind that these products in the past were economic and low cost products, today due to the increase in demand, they've become more and more expensive, when compared to other whitefish.
These products are normally sold in 9 kg carton boxes, and the size of the fish is small. The fish is split with the back bone in, which makes it weigh a bit more than the traditional butterfly split. It is normally not washed before drying which makes it a fish with much salt on the surface.
The makayabu, due to the fat content, the surface oxidizes very easy, becoming yellow in colour. The Ambassade on the other hand is a whiter looking fish.

Makayabu and Ambassade are sold in the traditional markets all over central Africa, especially in Angola, DRC, and Congo.
Due to the high transport costs, as these products require refrigerated transport, they all arrive in 40' reefer containers. On arrival, cold rooms are require to store these products.
A good storage can increase the shelf life of these products, that is normally 1 year, but well stored can last much longer.
Both Caribbean and African countries are the major markets for these products and the main exporters are located in Norway, where most of the fish originates.
I would like to thank Northern Fish Iberia for supplying me with the photo.

Dry Salted Cod Market Review July 2014

The dry salted cod market has been in turbulence for quite a while now, after hitting record low prices in 2013, I believe we are in the up trend already.
Just to state, why we reached historical low prices in cod.  The ICES advised in mid 2012 an increase in the codfish quota for 2013, due to several factors which indicated that the growing numbers of codfish stock in the North Atlantic would sustain such and increase in quota. The quota increase was a clear indication to all market operators that prices would in 2013 be at lower levels than 2012. Basically we seen as of July 2012 a gradual downfall in pricing, as most producers were reducing inventory to avoid bigger losses.
This negative effect in prices, has brought some positive effects on consumption. The consumption of codfish has increased and several new markets have opened up. The haddock quota and pricing has also been beneficial to the increase in codfish consumption, as codfish has been a natural substitute of haddock.
In mid 2013 the ICES advised a small decrease in quota for 2014, normally the ICES mid year perspective for quota is confirmed by the regulatory bodies later in the year.
In 2014, the prices have been stable and rising, in the salted codfish market we have lack of smaller size fish. The lack of small size codfish is due to more profitable markets and clients like the fresh fish industry and Chinese processors. The lack of some sizes, has been changing slightly the markets, big supermarket chains have been avoiding campaigns with smaller fish and have centered their campaigns in bigger fish.
For the remaining months of 2014 and 2015, we expect a price increase due to several factors:
- Very likely significant quota reduction for 2015 (10% reduction);
- Continuous high prices for haddock
- General increase in consumption of codfish by the fresh fish industry. This is a tendency that is here to stay, we currently see Icelandic fleet seriously investing in these products. The numbers are also supporting, the growth in fillet markets is very high and codfish has been gaining markets all over the world.
- Increase in consumption in the Russian market
- The dry salted cod is mainly sold to Portugal, Spain and Brazil. The economic crisis has slowed down demand. Therefore North Atlantic producers tend to select by profit the markets and niches they will serve, I believe that gradually the importance of these three markets in the world consumption of codfish will slowly lose power to other more profitable markets and clients.
- Strong purchasing power from Chinese and fresh fish industry

Bacalhau prospects for 2014

Dry salted cod our dear bacalhau, had a great 2013 in a consumers perspective, a rather bumpy one in a industrial or sales perspective, with the lowest margins ever.
Bacalhau has become a rather cheap source of proteins, when compared to other substitutes. We can never forget that dry salted bacalhau, will grow in weight once we desalt it, reaching 35%. So in reality this positive effect on weight will be a tremendous gain, while other food products have a tendency to decrease in weight, like meat (especially if injected with phosphates) and fish (like octopus).
For 2014, we believe will be the turning point for the industry, as several mutations will be dynamically playing in the market.
Important things to look out for in 2014, that may effect the market as we know it:

• The increase in consumption of fresh cod, from fillet industry and in general
• Cod as a substitute of other fish widely consumed
• Increase in demand from China & Russia

Although the quota did not suffer any reduction compared to 2013, it is expected that the peek of quota has been attained and it is expected a slight decrease in the next few years. 
Fresh cod market is expected to increase its demand for raw material in 10%. Norwegian producers see good margins in this business, giving them first hand choice and high quality in the fresh cod raw material market. Basically fresh cod market is paying more for the kg than processing it to the bacalhau industry, the additional value created is by far not compensated by the surcharge paid by the fresh cod market, and also payments are quicker. It is also expected that this surge in demand for fresh cod is a sustainable demand, which will be responsible for future growth of income. It has become an important part of Norwegian producers income.
Cod as a substitute for other fish, we have seen this before. When cod prices were high, cod was being gradually substituted in some niche markets by other fish, namely Pacific cod and Saithe. Due to the low price we currently have, cod is gradually recovering market share in all corners of the globe.
Important is to refer that Haddock is also one of the main reasons for a possible impulse of cod consumption in the UK, it is expected a reduction of 10% in fishing in 2014, after the reduction of almost 40% from 2012 to 2013. We believe UK market to start looking at cod as an alternative to their fish & chips business. It has become an economic alternative.
The increase in demand from China, has been gradually going on for the last few years. They in general buy smaller sizes, but will gradually start buying other sizes to guarantee quantities. Also the Russian market has become a consumer of cod, and are paying good average price per kg.
All together we see that the bacalhau industry is shifting slightly and 2014 will eventually confirm the data that we are retrieving.

Receita Bacalhau - Bacalhau Grelhado com batatas a murro

Receita bacalhau is the portuguese words for bacalhau or salted cod recipe. Today we will focus on the receita bacalhau, bacalhau grelhado com batatas a murro. A really fine and easy dish to do, not many ingredientes and can quickly be made without much difficulty.

The main ingredientes required are: cod loins or lombos de bacalhau 4, 20 small potatoes and salt (rock grain salt).
The cod loins, in this receita de bacalhau should be from gadus morhua fish, well desalted made from traditional dried and salted bacalhau. The size should be 10/12 at least, that is a 2,0 kg dry fish. You can choose a good Icelandic non injected dried fish or a Norwegian made from fresh fish, both are excellent choices.
The sauce, made of olive oil and onions:

• half a litre of good prime olive oil (always remember the quality of the ingredients used is important in the outcome of your delicious meal
• Garlic 50 grams of chopped garlic
• 3 big onions sliced in half moon formats
• 4 bay leaves
• 1 dried chili bean
• salt to liking

Now we have all the ingredients required, we can start our delicious lunch or dinner, by lighting up the grill, get it nice and hot .... dip the bacalhau loins for this receita de bacalhau in water, then grill the bacalhau cod loins, first with skin facing the hot grill. It will be dripping water which is normal, you may also brush some olive oil on the grill, if you see necessary. After with one movement flip over the bacalhau cod loin on the other side. Avoid moving too much the bacalhau cod loins, the may just fall apart, get a good utensile to flip and move it, this way you can avoid its fragmentation. After grilling the bacalhau cod loins make sure to place them in place to keep them warm.
Next or meanwhile we need to get the potatoes in to the oven, after washing the small potatoes, make some small holes on them with a fork, put some salt over them and some aluminium foil to cover the tray, put it into the pre-heated oven (200 ºC) for approximately 1 hour, or until they become soft. Before serving wrap your hand on a kitchen towel and give each potato a soft punch, this will help the sauce penetrate the interior of the potato and get some flavour in there.
Now the sauce for this delicious dish, put the olive oil in a pot, the chopped garlic in, fry the garlic til it gets a bit golden, then add the onions, the bay leaves and the chili, it should not take more than 10 minutes.
Final stage, put the 4 bacalhau cod loins in the middle of the serving tray, on the side the baked potatoes, and put the sauce over the bacalhau cod loins and potatoes.
Serve it immediately.

Bacalhau 2013 Business Overview

Bacalhau is one of the leading fish consumed in Portugal, til now world leader in this type of fish, possibly soon to be overtaken by the Brazilian market which has been gradually growing year after year.

The European crisis and the effect on this products market performance.
It no news to all, that quotas have increased about 25% in 2013. Also Portugal, the biggest consumer of this type of fish is going through a tough crisis due to a credit crunch.
The increase in quota had an immediate effect on the price of the fish at fishermens level, in general a 20-25% reduction. However when compared with market prices we have bigger reductions in price to the consumer.
The bacalhau has been for the last two years a product which big supermarket chains have been using to promote their stores, with incredible price discounts for limit periods. This effect has reduced the credibility of the product and the industry, as quality in most cases has been put aside in these special promotions.
The industry in Portugal is near a cliff, in the last year or so, many companies have declared bankruptcy, and many are just a step away. And we are talking about companies that used heavy TV campaigns about a decade ago. Much has changed in the bacalhau industry, from a profitable enterprise to a nomads land where millions are transacted and pennies made. However it is expected that the present credit crunch will affect the bacalhau industry forever, hopefully returning some nobility to it.
While Norwegian producers are well organized and established in the market, promoting bacalhau as something that has been theirs for decades. Portuguese companies have little or no organizational skills to compete against facts.
While the Portuguese association is wasting time with phosphate ruling, the market is falling over a cliff. The regulations are not enough to rule the product, while much effort and energy is used on the phosphate rulling, other issues are left untouched.
The bacalhau industry is a bit more complex than it looks, the portuguese industry is looked at in general by foreign partners as a credit savvy one, surviving on constant claims and discussions regarding pricing weights and other non-productive things. And on the other side foreign partner who know that credits will be issued independently of how good or bad they do their job,  .... I guess not much to add.
So, everyone is just trying to survive, adding the fact that prices at one of the lowest levels ever, more and more ingenious things are being done to survive.
Bacalhau salted and dried has increased consumption in this crisis, as it is slowly becoming a very affordable way for families to get the needed proteins in their meals. But it has become a no rules game, everyone has a lower price, quality has been put on hold....
Interesting to see how the stones will fall in a few months when consumption will hopefully increase. And some of the quotas will not be captured due to price and capacity.

Stockfish

 Stockfish is a preserved fish, while salting is one way to preserve fish, stockfish is a dried fish. Norway is historically known for it's stockfish, in Northern Norway, wooden outdoor racks exposed to wind and sun is part of the scenery.
During the curing of the fish about eighty per cent of the moisture is removed from the fish, being that all nutrients are retained in the stockfish, making it a very healthy food.
Stockfish as you may easily inquire can be made from almost all species of fish, although the most common are cod, and other white fish like pollack, ling, haddock and tusk. 
After being captured the fish is immediately prepared to stockfish. The fish can be dried whole or split, the fish can be dried outdoors or done in artificial dryers. The split fish is normally cut along the spine with tail. Drying outdoor is seasonal, it is done from February til May.

Why is stockfish and Norway so attached, well to start with Norway has one of the worlds best fishing fleets. Plus they have the fish close to shore. Then they also have weather that guarantees the whole drying procedure outdoors. The cold temperature is something quite common between February and May in Northern Norway, therefore it protects the fish that is hanging in the wind and sun from bacteria and insects. The temperature slightly above zero is great, as too cold will destroy the quality of the fish, the Lofoten area is known to be the best place for stockfish production outdoors as it has very stable climate conditions which are appropriate for stockfish drying. Also fishing season also coincides with the best drying conditions.
The drying of the stockfish is not all done outdoors, after hanging on the racks for about 3 months it is then is moved indoors to a dry and aired area, here it will mature for another 2 months.
The stockfish is sorted by specie, quality and size. In Norway stockfish is usually consumed as a snack and to do the Scandinavian
The consumption of stockfish is world-wide African countries buy as it's a well preserved seafood and easier to handle. Italy and Croatia are also good markets for such fish. In Norway you will have some consumption namely to do lutefisk a Nortic dish. In Italy it goes by stoccafisso.

Due to being a healthy food with very nutritious ingredients stockfish is also used in pet food, obviously using defect products or lower quality outputs from processing plants.
As mentioned, stockfish is a historical product, it has been one of the most traded product by Norwegian businessmen since 1400.

Phosphates and salted cod

Adding phosphates to salted cod, the injection of phosphates is a current discussion in EU, the Portuguese producers are against, Norwegian and Icelandic producers can't live without it.

So what exactly are we talking about? Basically injecting the fish flesh with phosphates which avoids oxidation. So they say. Well it also retains moisture, which makes the fish heavier and therefore more beneficial to producers.
Unfortunately people like food to look nice, and everyone likes their cod nice and thick, the whiter the better. To give consumers what they like to see, phosphates are without a doubt a win-win solution for producers and consumers.
Now what may be difficult to understand, is a product which has been produced for ages using 2 simple ingredients, fish and salt, is now being manipulated with chemical additives. This issue about phosphates is actually something that has been done with most of the fish we eat every day.
I must add that I believe that, unauthorised chemical additives are used every day in almost all the industry, from whiteners to fatners, the truth is that, approving phosphates on salted cod will mean a singificant change in the product and the market.
There is also a health issue, although many tend to dismiss them, the truth is that a product that has been produced and sold in the past, will in the near future be manipulated chemically.
If the EU does approve phosphated in salted cod, then the Portuguese law which defines salted cod will have to be changed. A phosphated salted cod has very high moisture levels, drying this fish to Portuguese standards is a very difficult task.
I sincerely don't believe that the phosphates approval will improve salted cod, it might be beneficial to the industry, but not for the consumers health and wallet. Producers are the only ones who win in adding phosphates to salted cod, and Portuguese in particular lose, as their traditional salted cod will gradually disappear.
The traditional Portuguese cod is condemned to disappear, I don't know if everyone has eaten a true Portuguese salted cod meal, the traditional bacalhau, adding phosphates will not be the same.

Bacalhau

Bacalhau is the Portuguese word for salted and dried codfish. A tradition in the Portuguese cuisine. Fresh codfish in theory should not be called bacalhau, although many people tend to just incorrectly call it the same. Bacalhau is basically a salted and dried fish from the gadus family. The raw material used to process bacalhau can be from fresh fish or frozen fish.
In trade we view several marketing techniques especially from Norwegian and Icelandic producers who try to pass on the idea that bacalhau made from fresh fish is of better quality than the one made from frozen. Sincerely I have a divided opinion on this matter due to several factors which I will clearly try to explain.
When bacalhau is processed from fresh codfish, the fishing is normally done with small coastal vessels, Norway and especially Iceland have good conditions for this type of operation. However the time taken to arrive at the bacalhau processing plants can determine significantly the quality of the bacalhau. Small fishing vessels in general do not have refrigerated storage, therefore during a day out at sea it's important to avoid a large time gap between the time the fish is captured and the time it arrives and is processed. A fish should not attain a "rigor mortis" state.

Producing bacalhau from frozen fish, basically has two origins, frozen in land and frozen at sea. In my opinion, if the vessel is properly equipped, frozen at sea may be he best option. The codfish is quickly processed in mini on board plants and frozen, which maintains a good level of freshness to the product, very far from a "rigor mortis" state.
Frozen on land is a similar situation to the one described for bacalhau produced from fresh fish, instead of being processed it's frozen. The quality of the product depends on the fishing technique used and the time it spent before being frozen.
Fishing season starts with new quotas in January, season A ends around mid April. In September fishing re-starts ending as soon as quotas have been fulfilled. So it's normal and logic that both frozen and fresh codfish is used in processing bacalhau.
In MHO if the vessel works well and everything goes smoothly either fresh or frozen may be good options in the bacalhau processing industry. Using fresh or frozen sincerely can't really say which one has impact in the flavor or quality of final product.
However fresh fish is cheaper than frozen, but also have bigger breakage in production. Some say fish is whiter if made from frozen raw material. Unfortunately too many variables involved in processing bacalhau, brands may be an assurance of quality, personally I do not valuate Norwegian origin over others. In fact, currently Russian vessels are better equipped for cod fishing and freezing than the Norwegian fleet.

Salted Cod - White wing or black wing?

Salted cod can be found with white wing or black wing. Which salted cod is better? The myth of salted cod has made the white wing a premium product, in truth, between white wing and black wing salted cod the taste texture and product in general are basically similar.

The production procedure for salted cod, is similar to any other salted fish. It all begins with the splitting of the fish, in general made mechanically with specific machinery to split the salted cod, however in some cases, especially when the fish is large (cod fish can be pretty big), the splitting of the fish is done manually. Just to mention, that historically, in the splitted cod fish business, fish splitters was a very common profession. Nowadays, the automatic splitting machines has substituted most of the old manual procedures for splitting cod.

The splitted cod is then cleaned thoroughly. At this point, white wing or black wing, is critical. Cod fish have a thin black internal skin, which is called peritoneum. The manual removal of the peritoneum, makes the fish a white wing salted cod. If the cod fish is simply just clean and salted, the fish will be a traditional black wing salted fish.
So, a white wing and black wing salted cod fish are similar, the small difference is the removal of a thin black skin, called peritoneum, during the splitting procedure.

So why offer white wing salted fish at a higher price?

Two main reasons for such a myth to continue. White wing salted fish has been promoted as a premium quality, although the extraction of the peritoneum, is an additional production procedure, mot enough to justify the price difference between white wing and black wing salted cod. The market values whiter products, therefore to some consumers will have preference for this product despite the fact that it has a premium on its price tag.

Just to add that it is common for some markets to favor white wing and other to favor black wing salted cod. And we can find these types of products in Pacific Cod Gadus macrocephalus and Atlantic Cod Gadus morhua. The majority of salted cod is done with black wing, it's the most standard type of salted cod. The famous Islandic salted cod fish is all black wing.

I can guarantee one thing, its not due to the colour of the wing of a cod fish that you will have a better fish meal. Critical for a salted cods quality are other factors, like the capture method, the correct splitting method, a good salt cure for example.

Bolinho de Bacalhau Receita : CodFish Cakes

You may find several cod fish recipes, many may be found using the word bacalhau, Portguese for cod fish. However currently one of the most famous recipe that is constantly growing, is the famous bolinhos de bacalhau or codfish cakes or rolls. It's a delicious meal or appetizer, people who have tried it, become fascinated with it's distinct taste, it's not easy to find in most countries, but any Portuguese or Brazilian grocery outlet will have them, ask for bolinhos de bacalhau, or codfish cakes.

How to make ( bolinhos de bacalhau ) cod fish cakes at home:

First you'll need to stock up with the following ingredients, and from there on I will explain step by step how you can have ( bolinhos de bacalhau ) ready in a flash:

• 750 g of Codfish (one of the secrets to a good home made ( bolinho de bacalhau ) codfish cake, is using salted and dried cod fish, it will be necessary for you to soak it be cooking, see my post on soaking salted cod fish )
• 750 g of Potato
• 200 g of Onion
• 6 pieces of Garlic
• 4 Eggs
• Parsley
• Vegetable Oil
• Salt
• Pepper
  

Soak the salted and dried codfish accordingly, make sure it's edible. Peel the potatoes, cutting them into small bits and pieces. The onion, the parsley and the garlic, all ingredientes should be chopped into small bits. Cook the codfish in boiling water. Extract the skin and the bones from the cooked codfish. Wrap the cooked cod fish with a clean cloth and with slight hand pressure mash the codfish.
Boil the potatoes in water, which some salt to give it some flavour, after boiling grind them into mashed potatoes. Add the codfish and the other ingredients the garlic, parsley and the onion, mix everything with the 4 eggs, season the mixture with salt and pepper. Mix it well, the mixture should be even.
The rounded shape of the ( bolinhos de bacalhau ) codfish cakes are obtained by using two spoons to mold the small fish cakes before frying. Fry them in well heated vegetable oil, turning them so every side gets a golden colour. Let them rest on absorbent paper to extract the excess vegetable oil before serving.
Bon appetite.

How to cure salt cod

How to cure salt cod? Cod curing can be done in several ways, one of the most common is using salt. In this post I will explain how to cure cod, this information can be used in industrial environment or even at home, you just have to keep in mind some tips which I will share with you, and surely your results in curing cod will be satisfactory.
Why do we cure cod? This may be on your mind, well mainly for two reasons, to preserve the cod for a long period of time and second to add flavour. The salted and dried cod is a typical food from the Mediterranean cuisine, and believe it or not, the cod may have the same origin, but taste different due to the way cod is cured prior to being cooked.
So how do we cure cod? We start off buy splitting the cod, we give it a butterfly look, this makes it easier and guarantees a quality cure for the whole fish. The cod will have to be well cleaned from any gut residue or others before salting it, during the salting process if the cod is not perfectly clean, yellow and orange markings may appear. A good thing about salting fish is that when well salted your fish will be protected against most bacteria.
After having cleaned thoroughly your cod, you will then need to place it splitted in a salt based recipient, with the back side facing up. Make sure, that between every fish you have no direct contact, salt must be abundant, or your whole effort may be in jeopardy.
The next stage is a very important one, put the recipient in a fridge for a few days. The whole industry secrets are relevant at this point, being the time and the way it's done in the fridge the main distinction in this whole process. A proper cure can take up to 60 days, some say that cod is like old port wine, the more time in staging the better.
After a sufficient time in staging, the drying is essential, do not use heat to accelerate drying, it requires a like breeze and time. From this point on, you'll need to keep checking to see how humid it is, one easy way is to press the flesh, when it hardens it is salted and dried. So, by now you have all the information you may need on how to cure cod. Doing it at home or industrially, sea salt and cod are the main elements. Good luck.

Overfishing : Cod fish quota

I've referred in a prior post to overfishing of the cod fish, and the importance that the International regulations have had to control overfishing, by establishing fishing quotas. I must say that not all is positive, At the beginning of the period when every shipping vessel has its full quota allowance, everything looks and works relatively well. However as the year goes by, not all goes well!

It's called discard, I see this as the most negative thing that is currently into practice, overfishing may not be effective when discards are made constantly at open sea. So what is a discard and how is it related to overfishing? Each vessel has a yearly quota defined by species, which means it may catch x tons of cod fish, y tons of haddock, z of ... and so on...

In truth fishing has evolved so  much since the good old days and a lot of technology and information is used, however the trawler fishing can't control the quantity or the species it captures. So to avoid overfishing and penalties, the whole capture is carefully inspected on board and all fish over quota is discarded, this means dropped back into the ocean dead. Yes, dead! Which means technically it was fished, however it was not registered as part of the quota ... so what happens in reality, is that in certain times of the year more than 50% of the fish that is capture is thrown back into the ocean dead, which avoids penalties and other overfishing official red tape, but in reality, overfishing is still not under control.
And worse, overfishing rules currently, especially through discard practices, increase market prices, makes fishermen do unethical things, and surely s not fully contributing to control overfishing.
In my honest opinion, this overfishing policy has to be adapted quickly to this reality, it is a crime what is being done in mid ocean, and we need to quickly react to this unfortunate thing.
It is sad to see that this reality is known and shared by many people in the industry and every ruling committee, what we can question is how long do we have to wait to see things change? A decade in my opinion has been more than enough waiting period to see change, however we can not hide behind paper forever.

Cod fish facts

Cod fish is a very nutritious food, in fact it has a high nutritive value, with low fat. It is a dense flaky white meat fish, with a mild flavour. These are a few reasons for cod being a popular food in many cultures.

In truth cod is a a good solid protein source, these proteins are easily absorbed with, as mentioned before low fat or carbohydrates. Besides proteins cod fish also has many other nutrients that are essential to your health.

Cod Fish Nutritional Info per 100 gr

• Calories : 82
• Fat Calories: 6,0
• Total Fat: 0,7 gr
• Saturated Fat: 0,1 gr
• Cholesterol: 43 mg
• Sodium: 54 mg
• Protein: 17,8 gr
• Omega-3: 2 gr

Besides the nutritional values, cod fish meals have healthy effects like improving your cardiovascular health, improving skin protection, increases heart muscle function.
Cardiovascular improvements from cod fish diets are a reality, reduction of atherosclerosis and heart disease, are some of the benefits, especially for those who suffer from diabetes. It is proven that cod fish being part of a regular diet will reduce significantly the risk of heart attack. It's vitamins B12 and B6 helps maintain homocysteine at low levels, which has an important and healthy effect on blood vessels wall tissues.
Cod fish is also an important source of Omega 3, it has a positive healthy effect on improving heart muscle. Besides the reduction in ischemic stroke risk, a fish rich diet can reduce you triglyceride levels, improving your cholesterol.
It is scientifically proven that consumption of cod fish as part of a regular diet will improve you skin protection, in fact cod fish nutrients will have an anti-inflammatory effect on your body skin.
Cod fish is a delicious dish that can be cooked in hundreds of ways, so can never really get bored, and simultaneously you will be eating a very nutritious and healthy food.

Some Cod Facts

Some cod facts, this post is dedicated to facts about cod fish, hope to answer some frequent questions.

What do cod fish eat?

One cod fact is that Cod fish are carnivorous they eat other fish like crabs, mussels, clams, herring and other fish. You can tell the cod fishes diet from the state of their teeth. Cod fish teeth's are very sharp, irregular and pointed like in figure. They do not have molar type teeth to grind their food. If the cod has sharp teeth it's probably because they have a diet based on herring and other soft meat fish. The cod fish with dull teeth will commonly feed on bottom ocean floor species like crabs, mussels and clams, whose hardness tend to be abrasive on the fishes teeth.

How big can a cod fish grow?

Interesting cod facts say that Cod fish can grow to be quite big, their are reports of codfish weighing more than 70 kg. The most common size is between 2 and 10 kg, being the more commercial size fish. It takes about 3 years for a cod to reach 2,5 kg in weight.

Cod reproduction

There are International strict laws regarding fishing, which has helped the sustainability of the cod species, each year fishing quotas are defined and rigorously controlled.
Spawning season, is from October to April, some cod swim south to warmer waters to spawn. During this spawning season it's common to find cod in schools of fish. The female may lay millions of eggs in mid-ocean, being that few survive.

Cod Colouring

As mentioned cod may be found at several depths in the Ocean, Atlantic cod will change colours according to the water depth, being that it may assume two different colours: gray-green shade and a reddish-brown shade.

Cod processing

Cod processing is a very tough job. Dressing large cod will require anchoring it by the mouth. Due to these continuous actions safety equipment is essential. The head may or not be removed, for frozen whole cod it's common to be sold H/G, this means headless and gutted. The collar bone may or not be part of the body. When dealing with salted and dried cod, the most common features of the fish is H/G headed and gutted with collar bone.
The raw material to process salted and dried cod may be supplied either fresh or frozen. Although frozen may reduce breakage during processing.
You may also have, line fished cod or trawl (net) fished, when fish are line fished they tend to have less stressful contacts with other fish, making it a prime quality item. The trawl (net) fishing method if not done accordingly can deliver fish with bruised flesh, which gives the end product a dark grey colouring. The on board freezing and handling process is essential to guarantee high quality.

Curing Fish: Salted Cod

Cod fish can be sold in several forms, fresh or dried, being very common to get cod salted and dried. Cod like every dry fish can have several types of cure, in truth each cure is separated by the humidity level of the salted cod, commercially the most common are:
- salted and dried cod fish
- semi dry cod fish
- wet salted cod fish

Salted and dried cod fish
Salted and dried cod fish is a common cure in some cultures for cod fish, this type of cure is sometimes called the Portuguese cure, being that the Portuguese culture is one of the main consumers of cod fish in the World. The Portuguese cure is basically the same as a salted and dried cure with 47% humidity level. Salt is used to preserve the cod fish, the salt content should be above 16% to guarantee a proper conservation of the cod fish. As mentioned before the humidity level is what distinguishes the types of cure, being the salted and dried cod fish having a humidity level between 45-47%.
In the past, the splitted cod fish would be dried in the sun. However today, in great part due to production requirements and also some health and safety issues, the cod fish is dried in wind tunnels, being the humidity and temperature levels controlled rigorously.
Salted and dried cod needs a refrigerated environment to preserve it's quality for a longer period, although in some countries it may not be necessary. A 4-7 ºC environment is perfect for this product, increasing it's durability. The less humidity the salted cod has the easier it is to preserve, being the salted and dried cod fish the one that has a better performance of all three types mentioned.

Semi dry cod fish or 3/4 cure
The semi dry cod fish or 3/4 cure requires the cod fish to attain a 48-50% humidity level, being the salt content as mentioned above 16%.
This type of cure is common in some Western European countries, being that it needs a refrigerated environment 4-7ºC to preserve it's quality.

Wet salted cod fish
Wet salted cod fish is very common in some cultures, it's humidity levels are higher than the ones already mentioned, and are normally between 51% and 55%, with a salt content also above 16%. Wet salted cod fish requires a more refrigerated environment being 1-4ºC adequate for this product.

We have mention three types of cure for salted cod fish, being these mentioned as the most common ones found in the market. Although cod fish is very adaptive to clients needs, you may find several differences when comparing producers, so I've provided general guidelines for cod curing.
If you purchase salted cod make sure you correctly soak it, this way you'll guarantee it's wonderful taste and flavour. You can actually read more on how to soak a salted and dried cod fish on one of my previous posts, as I have written about this important part of cod fish cooking.

Cod cooking

Cod cooking may be a challenge for who has no idea about cod and cod processing. In truth cod cooking may need a previous soaking of the salted and dried cod. So how do you soak a salted and dry cod? Besides soaking a salted and dried cod before you do your cod cooking, you may even have other problems that you may not of been aware of, namely you probably bought a whole splitted salted and dried cod fish. How to cut a whole splitted salted and dried cod fish? I plan to answer both these questions on this post making your cod cooking an enjoyable thing for you and you family.
Well you can find several types of cod on the market, but frequently you'll find salted and dried cod, to make it edible it's important that you soak it properly, this means that your cod when ready for cooking will not be too salty or too stale. It's really important to soak your salted and dried cod properly, or you'll never really get a true flavour and taste.

How to cut your whole splitted salted and dried cod fish?

Its really common in some countries to buy whole splitted salted and dried cod fish. This type of conservation was used in the past to preserve food during long ocean voyages. And cod specifically could withstand long periods of time, so it was one of the main food products used in the great voyages all over the world.
The salted and dried cod as you may see in the picture has a triangular format, it's split just before the salting and drying. When you buy it the whole split salted and dried cod is roughly solid, if it bends easily this means that the humidity level may be to high, the common number for humidity level on a salted and dried cod is between 45 and 47%.
The cod will have to be cut into smaller pieces, depending on your intention to cook it, you should ask it to be cut accordingly. Many supermarkets do have cutting facilities for customers who buy cod. I personally buy salted and dried cod frequently, so I always ask for a loin cut, this means that I intend to have as many loins pieces as possible, basically the center area of the fish catching the spinal cord.
So basically we can divide the cod fish into the following common parts:

• loins
• napes or wings
• tail
• collar bone area

How to soak a salted and dried cod?
Salted and dried cod are a result of ancient methods used still today, they preserves the cod during a long period and maintain all characteristics and nutrients of the fresh fish, improving its flavour and taste.
A correct soaking of the cod will give you a well salt balanced cod ready to cook. In order to achieve a good soaking of your salted and dried cod you will need to cut your whole cod first, just like I explained, the soaking process is done with the cut to size pieces making it easier and more balanced.
First step is to put some cold water into a recipiente, this recipiente will have to be big enough to put every piece in and be totally immersed in the cold water. Cold water is important, especially in the summer or in countries with hot temperatures, it preserves the cod fish during the soaking process. Dip the pieces in with the skin turned to the surface, exchange the water with clean water every 8-12 hours (at least once a day). Depending on the thickness of the cod fish pieces between 60 and 72 hours your cod fish will be ready to be consumed. Exchanging the water is important, as the water is quickly saturated with salt, and clean water will effectively help the soaking of the cod fish pieces.

Codfish, Morue or Kabeljau

Codfish as said in English, morue for the French or kabeljau for the German, truth is that it's an important part of many cuisines, being Europe the hot spot for traditional cod dishes.
Codfish is an Ocean fish, it enjoys cold water, tends to swim in the Northern hemishphere in cold waters just off Canada, Norway, Russia, Iceland  (Northern Atlantic Ocean) .... The true codfish is a Gadus Morhua specie, found in the Northern Atlantic Ocean. Although many tend to assotiate cod with Norway, you may find good quality Gadus Morhua codfish in several countries like Russia, Iceland and Canada, they are fished in FAO 27 and FAO 21.
You can also find other codfish species like Gaus Macrocephalus, which is a Pacific codfish, it's fished in the FAO 67 region.
Salted Cod fish became famous among shipping vessels, due to it being long lasting, so it was commonly used in the long historical voyages as a food supply for there crew. A salted cod fish can whithstand a great period of time without getting spoiled.

Traditionally the Portuguese are known to be the ones who promoted salted cod among the world, even today the Portuguese are among the main consumers of this fish. The traditional salted cod has been done on the Portuguese coast for many generations.
The salted cod, besides it historical part as a important part in long range vessel onboard cuisine, it  also gives a special flavour and taste to it, making it an important part of the Portuguese cuisine.
In the industry we will find several types of cure for the cod fish, all are salted, the salt has a chemical effect on the fish protecting and preserving it. Besides salted and dried which has a humidity level of less than 47%, we may find semi dry with a 48-50% humidity level, or a wet salted which will have a higher than 51% humidity level. The cod is fished in the Northern Atlantic or Northern Pacific Ocean and frozen in blocks on board the fishing vessels. The frozen cod arrives at the processing plants to be salted and cured, this process I entend to draw up a detailed post, the salted and cured cod is then sold splitted as a whole fish. It may also be processed into smaller pieces like loins, wings, tails, bits, etc.

Salted Cod

Welcome to my Salted Cod blog. I will begin a new journey today. This blog tends to help people, consumers and specialized traders in the industry about facts and issues regarding the Cod fish industry.
To make this place a welcome mat for all, I will try to post general information, like cod recipes and industry information, like the species, how things work, how to distinguish several types of cod, and how to prepare it for a delicious dish.
In truth cod fish has historically played an important part in many cuisines all over the World. And their are specific things regarding several consuming societies and I wish to reveal what I know and have learned through my experience in the field.
So, either salted, dry, frozen, cod will be the main character of this blog, and hopefully in time we will all share useful information that will constantly be helping us on our day-to-day life.
To my readers, this journey has just begun, I hope I can fulfil the information gaps that you may request. Feel free to comment, I appreciate every information that you may add, as I'm an eternal learner, as well as a writer.