My mother’s side of the family has a culinary tradition on the Easter holiday that I’ve not seen anywhere else before, so I thought I’d go and describe it here for anyone else who might be curious; it’s funny how you have these traditions and it isn’t until you talk with someone else that you find out that you’re one of the only people in the world that does this sort of thing. You then spend a lot of time wondering if your family is really screwed up or if you have something terribly neat. I think we kinda ride the fence on this one.

The tradition is called colloquially, “codfish”, although it should be properly termed as “codfish patties with sauce”. However, even this doesn’t approach a very clear definition, since the patties are mostly NOT codfish and the sauce is…well, sauce.

The preparation usually starts anywhere from a day to two days before with the first thing being the soaking of the cod. We use boxed and frozen salted codfish (usually from Alaska) which comes in these adorable little slide-top wooden boxes. As you might imagine, it’s horrifically salty. Like, salt thinks it is salty. Really. You could let it sit in the hot summer sun and it wouldn’t rot for anything.

So the cod gets a good soaking in several sinks of water to remove as much salt as possible before cooking. It is then boiled in a pot inside of a dishcloth bag to keep it from breaking up and floating all over. Afterwards, it is spread out, cooled, and any obvious bones picked out, although part of the experience of eating “codfish” is the occasional rouge bone spearing your gums.

During this time, the potatoes are being started. Red baking potatoes are peeled in large amounts and then cubed and boiled. Then they are cooled to a bit hotter than lukewarm for the next step.

Once the fish and potatoes are both cooked and cooled to a non-scalding temperature, they are both mixed together in a large bowl or tub (oftentimes when I was a kid, it was an old-fashioned washtub). The ratio of fish to potatoes is somewhere near 8-to-1 or 10-to-1, so there’s a ton more potato than fish. (Fish doesn’t stick together, but potatoes do, especially reds, so they provide the “sticktion”.) This mixture is then cooled and stored until frying time.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, the sauce is being prepared. This is a light yellow, opaque sauce that looks something of the consistency of pudding and tastes rather like mustard and vinegar. It’s fondly called, “goop”. It has tons of eggs, vinegar, water, mustard, and sugar all mixed and cooked in the microwave until it reaches a pre-custard quality. It is definitely an acquired taste, but to me is like liquid gold for this application. The goop is refrigerated until the serving time.

When it is time to serve up “codfish”, which is a big family gathering, the goop is poured into a bunch of various pitcher-type containers and placed around the table, as vast quantities of it is used on the codfish, so you always have to have a new container handy and/or just have your own, depending on your appetite.

Several fry pans are set going with vegetable shortening in them and once that is melted and hot, the potato and fish mixture is formed into patties about the size of hamburgers and about twice as thick. These are then fried in the hot oil until golden brown on both sides. The finished patties are usually placed in a baking pan and stored in the oven to keep them warm while all the patties are made (before we eat). Then these pans are brought out one-by-one as they are consumed.

To eat, you place several patties on your plate. The number varies by who you are, how much love you have of the tradition, and how many you think you can shove down your gullet before something explodes. Experienced eaters try to fit at least four, sometimes 5 on their plate at a time.

Some people smash theirs up with a fork first (me being one of them) and a lot leave them whole, but then a nearby bottle or pitcher of goop is snagged and copious amounts are dumped onto the patties. Then you simply pick up your fork and dig in, much like eating mashed potatoes with gravy.

The taste is a wonderful combination of the warm potato and fish patty and the cold yet tangy goop on top, leading to a thoroughly lovely experience. I usually manage two platefuls before I start to slow down, and have been known to do a third, but it all depends on the day. Some of my uncles can make a much bigger dent in the patty supply than I.

Other things are usually served on the day, usually some various salads, desserts, and horse doovers, but the main dish is the codfish and if you only eat that, nobody thinks twice about it. We also usually have a “normal” dish for those whom are newer to the family or don’t much like the tradition (my wife included).

It’s a strange tradition, but one that I remember as long as I have lived, and has always happened around Easter each year — something I regularly look forward to. Definitely something unique of my family, so if you’re ever around at Easter and want to try something new — ask for codfish!