Persetorsk
Lightly salted, pressed cod with a firm, silky bite, poached and served with bacon-butter and peas.
Cultural Context & History
A gentler cousin of lutefisk, pressed cod is salted and weighted for a day to firm the flesh. The result is a clean, dense fillet that western families favour for a special Sunday.
Ingredients
- 800 g fresh cod fillets, skin on
- 2 tbsp salt
- 1 1/2 tbsp sugar
- To serve: eggesmør (melted butter with chopped hard-boiled egg), green pea purée and boiled potatoes
Recommended Tools
- Glass or ceramic dishNon-reactive, so the cure never taints the fish.
- Heavy weightCompresses the fillets to an even, firm flake.
- Slotted fish sliceLifts the poached cod without breaking the flakes.
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Step-by-Step Instructions
- 1
Mix the salt and sugar and rub the cure evenly over the cod fillets.
- 2
Lay the fillets in a glass dish, cover with cling film, and press under a heavy weight — a cast-iron pan or a couple of scrubbed bricks. Refrigerate for 4 to 6 hours to firm and compress the flesh.
- 3
Rinse away the cure, pat the fish thoroughly dry, and cut into neat portions.
- 4
Bring a pan of lightly salted water to a bare simmer and poach the cod skin-side down for 7 to 8 minutes, until it separates into firm, glossy flakes.
- 5
Serve straight away with warm eggesmør, green pea purée and boiled potatoes.
Chef's Tip
This is a light press, not salt cod — six hours under weight is the limit. Any longer and the flesh turns dense and oversalted rather than silky and firm.
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