We are stocking a new range of salt cod. We have sourced some of the best from Thule Ventus who prepared the cod by hand, using only the freshest, top-quality fish caught from around the Shetland Islands, where they are based. It is an slow traditional process that takes place over many weeks. This delicious fish is available in our shops as skinned fillers in 50g and 250g packs. On the Iberian peninsular salt cod is very popular and known as bacalhau (Portuguese), bacalao (Spain).
There is a very long tradition of producing salt cod in the Shetland Islands. It is recorded that over six hundred years ago, Hanseatic merchants from Germany were coming to Shetland to buy what was known as the finest salt cod in Europe. This ‘stockfish’ became the staple trade of the islands, finding customers as far away as Portugal and the Baltic.
About Thule Ventus Salt Cod
Thule Ventus is a family business, based in the village of Cunningsburgh, Shetland. They have long experience and detailed knowledge of producing this traditional salt fish.
All the cod used for salting comes from family-owned Shetland fishing boats that make short trips to catch sustainable, quota-controlled stocks in the pure, wild waters around the Shetland Islands. The cod is landed by local boat at the Lerwick or Scalloway fish markets in the early hours of the morning. It’s filleted by lunchtime and salted by tea-time!
This is a slow food. The fish slowly absorb the salt and give up their moisture. The fish is checked regularly and once they have taken up enough of the salt the drying process begins. The whole process takes two-months or more.
Knowing what’s on your plate is important: Thule Ventus only use two ingredients – cod and salt. It only use accredited Kosher Salt, as this contains no anti-caking agents, colouring pigments, and free from any artificial additives or preservatives.
Traceable Fish Sources
Our supplier take great pride in providing excellent tracability for the fish the use. Every Thule Ventus salt cod pack comes with a label that provides the names and MMSI number of the vessel that caught the fish in that pack. In fact you can enter the MMSI number on the www.marinetraffic.com search facility and you will find that boat that caught your meal.