Codfish Breakfast

Salt cod properly prepared in a cream sauce, with or without the addition of ingredients like mushrooms, green peas or roasted red pepper, has been a long time favorite dish of mine.

As it happens, I like to cook and have made this cod offering whenever I can find a few folks who also seem to enjoy this type of cuisine. But, believe me, they are few and far between.

Many years ago, when we had a summer camp on a hemlock surrounded lake where we would escape the city heat during July and August, I happened to run across a few of these rare codfish aficionados. Campers were watching the kids at a swimming event where the moms were, well, you know, catching up with each other while the guys were, well, you know, doing the same.

Tom, a friend who had a camp down the road, and who also likes to cook, said something about cod as an alternative to all the burgers, steaks and chicken that neighboring cambers seemed to prefer.

“Yikes” I almost jumped out of my skin. Can I believe I’m talking to another codfish fan?

Yes, it was true! We worked up a serious appetite, don’t ask me who won the swimming meet, kicking around the various ways to prepare cod. Over the course of the summer this conversation expanded to the point where we had identified other campers who also connected with codfish memories. And many who didn’t, “Count me out when it comes to saltcod”, they would say.

Well, it’s kinda like finding a few friends who like anchovies; you either love them or hate them.

The summer camp season, at least at this camp site, closes like the hatchway on a submarine when Labor Day arrives. Kids need to be back in school, so everyone packs up to get back to the real world.

Tom and I conjured up a scheme for a Labor Day Codfish Breakfast for those of us who would enjoy such an event before parting ways until the next summer season presents itself. We agreed it would start with real salt cod in the wooden box, who would do what, where and when we would meet.

We actually had the temerity to think a few of us could just gather at my camp about 8:30 to 9:00 on Labor Day Morning, sit around on beach chairs, have creamed cod served on roasted potatoes, sip strong coffee and then get on with the exodus with bikes and canoes strapped to the top of our cars.

But, word got out! All of a sudden everyone wanted codfish.

Or what really happened is everybody wanted a big sendoff at the end of summercamp season; a disastrous turn of events that really cramped the hopes and dreams of us codfish freaks. Of course, I rationalized, it’s about more than just cod. It’s about friends and all that. But it’s also about cod! Now, the codfish junta has to share space with the landlubbers. They’ll insist on scrambled eggs with bacon or sausage, toast not roasted potatoes, Bloody Marys not coffee. And worst of all, they’ll be looking down their noses at my plate thinking, “Yukk!”

The history continues. We actually had the event. It was a big sendoff for weeping campers seeing their Brigadoon world folding before their eyes. The landlubbers brought their scrambled eggs et al, toast, bloodymarys, and the codfishers had their creamed cod from a wooden box with mushroom/redpepper/petitpoi added ladled onto small roasted potatoes and, of course, strong black coffee.

No four or five guys contentedly sitting on lawnchairs, though! Reconstruct this scene in your mind to see people all over the camp, inside and out, noise level at fever pitch from the social intensity of the moment, all in a camp cabin with small capacity for food prep. The codfish had to be prepared the previous evening so landlubbers could use the inside stove. Codfish could be warmed outside on the little firepit with a small fold-up wire cooking rack which would support the pot over the fire.

You can imagine by now that the codfish guys were outside by the fire waiting to dish up. We had decided we were going to offer a taste of this delicacy to any who would like to try it.

As we stood around the firepit, codfish just about ready, someone noticed the legs of the wire rack beginning to sink into the hemlock covered forest floor making the rack tilt a bit. And, yes, the pot began to slide. Lunging to grab the pot, Tom and I couldn’t quite make it. It fell, and some of the precious cargo spilled out onto the forest floor. OMG! What to do? Codfishers quickly decided! Scoop it back into the pot even though there were a few needles and cones mixed in. Nobody was watching.

In we went with our pot of “Codfish Offering”, fingers crossed, hoping for things to turn out okay. It was delicious, and a big hit. Many converts to cod were made that day.

One of the women said to me, standing there with plate in hand, “This is absolutely delicious, especially with the added mushroom/red pepper/small peas you guys added. And where did you find these marvellous little acorn-like things?”

Tom was standing nearby. He quickly saw some damage control was needed and jumped into the conversation. “Oh, no one could ever guess what this guy might throw into a traditional recipe,” says he. “But you can be sure it will be organic, nutritious and very tasty!”