Enjoy Easter and prepare a delicious lunch to celebrate with the family

Credits: Umami Committee

Check out two cod recipes rich in umami to surprise at the celebration

São Paulo, April 2023 – At this time of year, the desire to eat a delicious and well-prepared cod dish increases. This is because it is an Easter tradition to prepare this Portuguese delicacy, which for years has brought families together across the country on festive Sunday.

Thinking of making the tradition even tastier, nutritionist Mariana Rosa, from the Umami Committee, selected two recipes full of umami, the fifth basic taste of the palate, to diversify your celebratory lunch: a flavorful cod fricassée and a mouthwatering creamy cod.

“Adding umami to meals makes the dish much tastier and also provides several health benefits, such as aiding in protein digestion and increasing salivation – in other words, it literally makes our mouths water,” says Mariana.

Among the selected dishes, the nutritionist states that ingredients such as onion, mushrooms, parmesan cheese, potato, kombu seaweed, and tomato are foods rich in glutamate, the amino acid responsible for providing umami taste.

“Foods in this category are an excellent option to enhance flavors, as when consumed, they increase salivation, which helps to better perceive all tastes,” concludes the specialist.

COD FRICASSÉE

(Preparation time: 30 minutes + 20 minutes in the oven)
Serves: 8 portions

Créditos: Comitê Umami

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons olive oil (60 ml)
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped (9 g)
• 2 medium onions, cut into petals (300 g)
• 1 tray shiitake mushrooms, cut into medium slices (200 g)
• 800 g shredded cod, desalted
• 1 cup chopped parsley (40 g)
  

White sauce

• 1 bay leaf (0.08 g)
• ½ small onion (50 g)
• 3 cloves (0.05 g)
• 2 ½ cups milk (500 ml)
• ½ teaspoon salt (5 g)
• ½ teaspoon monosodium glutamate AJI-NO-MOTO® (2 g)
• ½ teaspoon nutmeg (1 g)
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (30 g)
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour (20 g)
• 1 cup finely grated parmesan cheese (100 g)
  

Directions

1. Make the cod sauté: in a large pan, place 1 tablespoon of olive oil and heat over medium heat. Add the garlic and onion, and sauté for 3 minutes or until golden. Add the mushrooms and sauté for another 5 minutes or until tender. Add the cod, the remaining olive oil, and cook for 5 minutes.
2. Remove from heat, add the parsley, mix, and set aside.
3. Prepare the white sauce: stick the bay leaf to the onion by piercing it with the cloves.
4. In a medium saucepan, place the milk and the prepared onion, and heat over medium heat. Cook over low heat for 10 minutes. Remove from heat, discard the onion with bay leaf and cloves, and add salt, AJI-NO-MOTO®, and nutmeg. Set aside.
5. In another medium pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the flour and fry for 1 minute, stirring constantly, until golden.
6. Remove from heat and gradually add the hot milk, always stirring to prevent lumps. Return to low heat and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes or until slightly thickened. Remove from heat.
7. Assembly: in a large rectangular baking dish (22 x 34 cm), place the cod sauté and top with the white sauce. Sprinkle with the cheese and bake in a preheated medium oven (180 °C/350 °F) for 20 minutes, or until heated through and lightly golden on top.
8. Remove from oven and serve immediately.

Tips:

• To desalinate shredded cod, place it in a large bowl, cover with water, and refrigerate for 24 hours, changing the water at least 4 times during this period.
• The onion with the bay leaf and cloves is also known as oignon piqué, a classic French cooking technique used to add flavor and aroma to soups and sauces.

CREAMY COD

(Preparation time: 50 minutes)
Serves: 4 portions

Ingredients

• Potato (300 g)
• Kombu seaweed (1 piece, 15 cm)
• Onion (100 g)
• Tomato (100 g)
• Olive oil (as needed)
• Desalted cod (300 g)
  

Directions

1. Peel and cook the potatoes with the kombu seaweed until very soft.
2. Mash the potatoes through a sieve while still hot and reserve the purée.
3. Cut the onion and tomato into thin slices.
4. In a baking dish, drizzle some olive oil on the bottom and arrange the onion slices to cover it.
5. On top of the onion, arrange the tomato slices, then add the cod.
6. Finish with the potato purée.
7. When baking, drizzle with olive oil and place in the oven for about 30 minutes or until the cod is cooked.

UMAMI

It is the fifth basic taste of the human palate, discovered in 1908 by Japanese scientist Kikunae Ikeda. It was scientifically recognized in 2000, when researchers at the University of Miami confirmed the existence of specific receptors for this taste in the taste buds. The amino acid glutamic acid and the nucleotides inosinate and guanylate are the main umami substances. The two main characteristics of umami are increased salivation and the continuation of taste for a few minutes after food intake. To learn more, visit www.portalumami.com.br.