- 2 pounds salt cod
- Grated zest of 1 orange
- A handful of dried fennel branches or 1 fennel bulb, quartered
- 1 onion, stuck with 4 whole cloves
- 6 black peppercorns
- 1 pound small beets
- 2 pounds small potatoes, scrubbed but not peeled
- 1 pound medium carrots, peeled
- 1 whole cauliflower (about 2 pounds), trimmed and broken into florets
- 1 pound ultra fresh small green beans
- 8 hard-cooked eggs, in their shells
- 1 recipe Garlic Mayonnaise
- A vegetable steamer
- 6-quart pasta pot fitted with a colander
- One or 2 days before preparing the final dish—depending upon the saltiness of the fish—place the salt cod in a bowl of cold water and soak, covered, in the refrigerator. Change the water three or four times during the soaking period to remove excess salt. Drain and rinse the fish.
- Place the cod in a large saucepan. Add fresh cold water to cover, along with the orange zest, fennel branches or quarters, onion pricked with cloves, and peppercorns, and bring just to a simmer over medium heat. Immediately remove the pan from the heat. Cover and let stand for at least 15 minutes. Drain well and discard the flavorings. Scrape any fatty skin off the fish and remove any bones. Tear the fish into large pieces and arrange on a platter.
- Cooking each vegetable separately, steam the beets, potatoes, and carrots. Peel and halve or quarter the beets and arrange on a separate platter for just the vegetables. Add the potatoes to the platter. Halve the carrots lengthwise and arrange on the platter.
- Separately blanch, refresh, and drain the cauliflower and green beans. Arrange the cauliflower and beans on the platter. Arrange the eggs around the edges of the platter. Bring the platters to the table and serve with the sauce.