Codfish Hash
Flake a cupful of cooked cod, and add gradually 2 cupfuls boiled potatoes; season with salt and pepper to taste; cook gently in hot butter.
A two-ingredient hash that depends almost entirely on how dry the potatoes are and how long you leave the pan alone. Both cod and potato should be cold and cooked before they meet the butter.
- Which codThe recipe assumes cod already cooked, most likely leftovers from a boiled or baked fillet, but salt cod that has been soaked overnight (changing the water two or three times) and poached works equally well. If you use salt cod, add no salt until you have tasted the finished hash.
- Potato textureUse cold boiled floury potatoes, coarsely chopped or broken rather than mashed. Freshly boiled potatoes hold too much steam and the hash will slump instead of browning.
- The hinge: leave it alonePress the mixture flat in the butter and, keeping the heat gentle as the recipe directs, resist stirring for several minutes at a time. The crust forms in that undisturbed time; constant turning gives you warm fish and potato with little browning.
- Fat quantity"Hot butter" is vague. Something like two to three tablespoons in a large skillet is a workable amount; much less and the crust sticks, much more and the hash turns greasy.
- Ratio and bindingTwo parts potato to one part fish is deliberately potato-heavy and needs no egg or cream. If your mixture is very dry and refuses to hold, a tablespoon or two of milk is enough.
- YieldThe mixture comes to about three cupfuls, enough for two as a main course with an egg on top, or four as a side. It is best eaten as it comes off the pan.