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The story of Fish & Brewis
In the land where cod is king it is to be expected that many of our dishes make use of this delicious and versatile fish. Here in Newfoundland if you mean salmon, trout or halibut, you say so, but if you just say fish, you mean cod. Perhaps the most popular dish is Fish & Brewis, pronounced "broos".
The New Englanders make fish and brewis too, but few people inland ever heard of it. In fact, one mainlander on first hearing of it, thought it had some connection with a still for making home brew.
On the other hand, a stroy is told of a clergyman newly come from England whose hostess asked him before he retired his first night if he would like fish and brewis for breakfast. Wishing neither to offend nor to be reckless, he replied cautiously that he would like fish, "but only one brew", please."
Newfoundland families in all income brackets and in all geographical locations serve fish and brewis with varying frequency, especially for Sunday morning breakfast. Sometimes the brewis is served with bacon or ham instead of fish. The fish, of course, is the salt fish and the brewis is made from hard bread which can be bought in the grocery stores here. As in all such dishes, and exact recipe is hard to find, each cook having their own way of doing the cooking which gives a slightly different flavour to the finished product.
Taken from the Fat-Back & Molasses Collection Recipe Book

Cod fish cakes
2 onions
2 cups salt codfish, boned, cooked
3 cooked parsnips
1 egg well beaten
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/4 tsp. pepper
6 cooked potatoes
Cook onions in a very small amount of water. Mash together fish, potatoes, & parsnips.
Add onions, & the water in which they were cooked. Season, Add beaten egg and combine well.
Form into cakes (about the size of a hockey puck, only rounded), roll in bread crumbs and fry in rendered pork fat.

This recipe is used in Newfoundland very often for the supper meal and is often made from left-overs of salt cod & potatoes.

Fishermans Brewis
To prepare Brewis:
Split cakes of hard bread; allow 1 cake per person. Place in a large saucepan well covered with water. Soak overnight. The next day, using same water bring to near boil.(do not boil). Drain immediately. Keep hot.
To prepare Fish:
Soak salt codfish overnight, changing water once. Boil for 20 minutes until fish is flaky. Drain and remove skin and bones from fish. Combine fish and hard gread together.
Serve with scrunchions (small cubes of fat pork fried to golden brown).

Fried Cod Tongues
Carefully wash fresh cod tongues and dry in a paper towel. Allow 7 or 8 per person.
Put 1 1/2 cups flour, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper together in a plastic bag.
Put tongues in and shake them until evenly floured (coated). Cut up 1/2 pound salt pork and fry until golden brown. Remove pork cubes and fry tongues until golden brown on both sides.
Serve with mashed potatoes and green peas.

Baked Cod Tongues
Wipe cod tongues with a damp cloth. Soak in salted milk (1/2 cup milk to 1 tblsp salt) for about 10 minutes. Drain and roll each tongue in breadcrumbs. Place on a greased sheet or dish and bake at 450 F. oven for about 10 minutes. Serve with lemon slices and tartar sauce.

Fish n Brewis (dinner for two)
The following recipe is a typical Newfoundland dish which everyone "learns" to love.
Break up and soak in cold water overnight two cakes of hard bread. If all the water is absorbed by morning add a little more to keep it from burning. Place to boil and add 1/2 tsp. salt. When water boils up all through it, strain and chop into small pieces with a fork.
Boil about 1lb fo well watered salt fish for 20 minutes. Strain. Flake it into small pieces and remove skin and bones.
Add to the hard bread mixture and drip pork fat & scrunchions over it.
Take a piece of fat back pork (about 1/2 lb) and cut in thin slices and fry until crisp and brown. Break up pork in small bits with fork and knife. Drip over fish & brewis on a dinner plate.

Fish n Brewis (dinner for four)
Ingredients
1 lb Salt cod
2 Hard bread or hardtack cakes
1 c Salt pork; diced
Cut cod into serving-size pieces. Soak cod and hard bread separately in cold water for 8 hours or overnight.
Drain fish. In saucepan, cover fish with cold water. Heat to boiling and boil gently for 15 to 20 minutes or until tender; drain.
Meanwhile, in skillet, fry salt pork until golden. Drain bread and place in saucepan, cover with salted water and bring to a full boil. Drain immediately and serve with fish on warm plates. Sprinkle with scrunchions.

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