Annie Proulx in her novel, The Shipping News, makes numerous references to food.  The characters are depicted on many occasions talking about, preparing, and consuming food.  It is no secret that Newfoundlanders enjoy food.  In Proulx's novel, however, the primary consumption is fish.  Some references to the novel are: "We haven't had a nice lobster chowder for a while" (149), "Quoyle had the squid and a side dish of onion hash. The squid were stuffed with tiny pink shrimp, laid on a bed of sea parsley" (177), and such dishes as "scallops" (239), "squidburgers" (239), and "cod cheeks and chips" (240).   Newfoundlanders have traditionally used the sea as a dominant resource of food.  Today, however, with the decrease in fish and the fishing industry, there is not much dependency on fish.  Therefore, I have decided to share some fish dishes that many Newfoundlanders relish.
 

2 lbs. salt cod
4 cakes of hard bread
salt pork (cut in cubes) about 1 cup rendered out

    Cover fish and hard bread separately with cold water.  Let soak overnight.  Next day, pour off water from fish and add fresh water.  Bring to a boil.  Boil gently for about 20 minutes.  Remove from heat, drain and remove bones.  Bring hard bread to a boil.  Remove from heat and drain.  Immediately add the cooked fish and the "scrunchions" (which are small pieces of fat pork rendered to a golden brown on a heavy skillet).
    Serve at once "as is", or with molasses.

I would like to add that this dish is also good stored in the fridge and reheated!
 

2 cups codfish, cooked and flaked        2 teaspoons chopped onion
3 cups mashed potatoes                        1 egg
salt to taste (if fresh fish used)

    If salt codfish is used, soak overnight.  Cover with fresh cold water and bring to boil for 20 minutes.
    Flake the cooked fish.
    Blend flaked fish, mashed potatoes, onion and egg together.  Add salt if necessary.
    From into patties.
    On hot frying pan, cook until golden brown on both sides.

I worked at a traditional Newfoundland restaurant for a couple of summers and this dish was a major hit as an appetizer, but it is favored as a main dish by most Newfoundlanders.
 
 

    Wash tongues in cold water (thaw first if tongues are frozen).  Drain and place on a large platter.  Sprinkle the tongues with salt, pepper, and onions.  Put tongues in a plastic bag with about one cup of flour and shake until the tongues are coated with flour.
    In a large frying pan render out six slices of fat back pork and then put the tongues in the pan and fry at medium heat for five minutes.  Turn the tongues, cook for another ten minutes and turn the tongues again, then cook for a further ten minutes.  Serve immediately from the pan with choice of vegetables.
 
If you have never seen cod tongues then it would be a treat for you.  In my opinion, they do not look like an appetizing meal, but once they are cooked, they're great!
 
 

1 lb. cod fillet                                     3 tablespoons margarine
2 tablespoons flour                              1 cup milk
1 cup grated cheddar cheese

    Boil cod fillet, salt to taste.  Drain.  Melt 3 tablespoons margarine in saucepan, remove from heat, add flour.  Mix well, add milk.  Return to stove, stir until sauce thickens.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Grease baking dish, flake fish, add alternate layers of sauce and fish.  Top with cheese.  Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes.  recipe may be doubled.

This dish is a specialty of my sister's.  It is great for pot lucks!
 

When we sit down to supper in Newfoundland, it would be unusual not to have bread on the table.  When I was living home, my Mom used to bake a batch of bread a week.  My brothers and I used to crowd in the kitchen, drawn by the aroma of the bread cooking in the oven, and wait in anticipation for Mom to take the bread out, cover it in butter, and cut fresh pieces for each of us.  Below is a recipe you can try.
 
 

    Heat milk in a large saucepan.  Transfer to large mixing bowl.  Add sugar, salt, shortening and warm water.  Stir until shortening dissolves.  Cool to lukewarm.  Set aside.  Keep warm!
    Dissolve 2 teaspoons sugar in 1 cup lukewarm water.  Sprinkle 1 package yeast over this.  Let stand in warm place for 10 minutes.  Stir briskly with a fork and add to lukewarm milk mixture.  Stir well.
    Gradually add flour, approximately 10-11 cups, combining well.  Turn out on a lightly floured board and knead for 10-15 minutes or until light and non-sticky.  Shape into a smooth ball and place in greased bowl in a warm place, (I use the oven, turned off) until double bulk, approximately 1 1/2 hours.  Punch down and divide into four.  Cover and let rest for 10 minutes.  Shape into loaves and place in pre-heated greased loaf pans.  Let rise again in warm place until double, about 1 1/2 hours.
    Place in a 400 degree fahrenheit oven for 15 minutes.  Then reduce heat to 375 degrees for another 15-20 minutes or until done, golden brown, and sounds hallow when tapped on the bottom.  Butter tops and turn out at once.

Occasionally, when there was left over dough, my Mom would make toutons for us.  Toutons are basically fried dough.  You cut you remaining dough into pieces, stretch and flatten them.  Then you heat a skillet, place butter in it and then place the dough in the skillet.  Let them cook until golden brown.  You should keep turning them over so they cook the whole way through.  Serve with molasses, syrup, or jam.  Either way, they are delicious!
 
Note: The above recipes are taken from Newfoundland Homestyle and Traditional Recipes, Hillcrest Publishing, St.John's, Newfoundland.

If you have any questions about my recipes or would like to share some of your own, email me at

Links to other Newfoundland recipe sites are listed below.  I would really recommend the Blueberry one; they are my favorite wild berries!