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Cod Quadrilles with Potato Salad
2 lbs. cod I beaten egg Bread crumbs Potato salad Salt and pepper to taste Slice the cod and dip the slices in flour. Brush the fish over with the beaten egg, and dip in bread crumbs which have been seasoned with salt and pepper. Then fry in plenty of smoking hot fat until a nice brown color. Serve cold, with potato salad arranged around the dish. A very good potato salad is made as follows: Rub a basin with a slice of onion or a cut clove of garlic, and into it put a quart of cold boiled potatoes that have been cut into small squares. Stir through the potatoes two tablespoonfuls of capers.
Melt two tablespoonfuls of butter, add one teaspoonful of made mustard, four tablespoonfuls of vinegar, and salt and pepper to taste. Pour over the potatoes while the sauce is hot, and set away to get cold before serving with the fish.
A little chopped parsley may be added, if liked.
A straightforward breaded fried cod served cold, with a warm-dressed potato salad. Two details carry the dish: the frying temperature and the fact that the dressing goes on hot.
- Dress the potatoes hotThe butter-mustard-vinegar sauce is poured over while the sauce itself is hot, as the recipe directs, and the salad is then set aside to cool. The potatoes here are already cold boiled ones; warm potatoes will take up the dressing more readily if you prefer.
- Fat temperature"smoking hot fat" signals a fat hot enough to seal the crumb at once; in modern terms deep-frying around 365-375F gives that result. Fat that is too cool lets the crumbs soak and go soft as the fish cools, which spoils a dish meant to be eaten cold.
- Cut of codThe recipe says only to slice the fish. Thicker portions from the loin or fillet work best, as thin slices overcook before the crust colors. Skinless fillet is easiest; cook to 145F at the center.
- Made mustard"Made mustard" is prepared mustard paste, not dry powder. A smooth Dijon or an English prepared mustard both work; use one teaspoon as written and adjust after tasting the finished salad.
- Quart of potatoesA quart of diced cooked potato is about 1 1/2 lb of potatoes before boiling. Waxy varieties hold their squares; floury ones will break down under stirring.
- Rubbing the basinRubbing the bowl with cut onion or garlic gives a trace of flavor only. If you want the salad to taste of onion, add a tablespoon of finely minced shallot to the potatoes instead.
- Serving coldFry, drain on a rack rather than paper, and cool uncovered. Covering traps steam and softens the crumb. Refrigerate no more than a few hours ahead.
- YieldTwo pounds of cod serves four as a main course, six as part of a cold table.
"Quadrilles" shares its name with the square-figure dance popular in nineteenth-century ballrooms, though that derivation is at best folk etymology; the French quadrillé is the likelier source.