This brandade recipe is inspired by restauranteur Gabe Stulman’s old Montmartre restaurant in NYC. In my opinion, it was one of the most memorable French restaurants the city has seen.  It was my go-to date night spot, where I would sit at the bar and chat with the bartender and waitstaff like I was on an episode of cheers.  Montmartre had all the quaintness of Paris, with the chic of New York. Brandade, which you rarely find on menus anywhere, was one of the signature dishes.

A Few Substitutions

I’m pretty sure they used salted cod that they whipped with potatoes.  Their brandade recipe was more cod than potatoes, versus this one which is about 50/50. I also use oat milk to steam the fresh cod, versus salt which is the original brandade recipe from sailors in Marseille who needed to preserve their fish somehow on their long voyages, so opted for the salt cured version.  My version is also more flavorful. I like a little spice and appreciate the licorice flavor the Penrod or sambuca bring to the dish. For me, this is a fall and winter go-to recipe that’s a little naughty with the mashed potatoes, and a little nice with the oat milk.

Serves 6 as an appetizer portion

Ingredients

2 cups chunky mashed potatoes
1 lb. cod filet
2 cups oat milk
4 sprigs thyme
1 Meyer lemon
Red pepper to taste
3 cloves roasted garlic
3 tablespoons Penrod or Sambuca
½ cup parmesan cheese
Gluten-free breadcrumbs
Olive oil
Fleur du sel
Olive oil cooking spray

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a large sauce pan, bring 2 cups oat milk, thyme, ½ tablespoon fleur du sel, 2 tablespoons olive oil to a boil over medium high heat, reduce to medium low.  Add in red pepper to taste, depending on how much kick you like in your food.  Traditional Brandade is more subtle and bland in flavor.  Squeeze in ½ of the Meyer lemon and place lemon rind in the oat milk mixture, and add in the roasted garlic.  Add in the cod and simmer for about 10 minutes, until just when the cod is cooked through.

Flake the cod in the oat milk mixture and let sit for 2 minutes.  Add in the cod only to the mashed potatoes, spooning in the oat milk mixture until you have a slightly thinner consistency to the cod and potatoes.  Warm through about 3 more minutes then take off from heat.

In a skillet, toast the breadcrumbs in olive oil and sprinkle in fleur du sel to taste. Remove from heat and add in the parmesan cheese.  Set aside.

Time to Bake

Lightly oil the shallow crème brulee ramekins with the olive oil cooking spray.  Place the cod and potato mixture in each individual dish and add the parmesan breadcrumb mixture on top.  Bake in the oven for about 10 minutes, and broil on low for about 2 minutes until the top is lightly browned.  Squeeze the remaining half lemon among the ramekins. Next, drizzle with a touch of olive oil and add fleur du sel to finish.  One of the upsides for entertaining is that this brandade recipe can be served hot or at room temperature. Either way, accompany the dish with toasted French bread or rye crisps.

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