Christmas is the time of year when, in addition to full hearts, our stomachs are full almost all the time because we enjoy homely, family meals. Winter regularly means less movement and more food, so every year (somehow) we come to terms with it and freely enjoy all the gastronomic charms. This holiday season, which we spend relaxing, talking and tasting good food, is known for something else – the tradition of preparing cod. As the custom dictates that cod is traditionally eaten on Christmas Eve, you should rely on professionals – Alden – with significant experience in cooking and gastronomy, and cod production for more than two decades which confirms that cod is our main specialty.

Balakar, a food most associate with Christmas and Christmas Eve, is perfect to serve at your holiday table in a form of spread with varouos tastes. Alden’s unavoidable balaclava spreads will be the perfect appetizer and a fine snack that is most ideally combined with homemade hot or toasted bread. You won’t go wrong if you decide to serve cod with everyone’s favorite polenta or risotto.

Balakar, the food most associated with Christmas and Christmas Eve, is perfect for serving at the holiday table in the form of spreads of various flavors. Alden’s cod spreads will be the perfect appetizer and a fine snack that is most ideally combined with homemade warm or toasted bread. You will not go wrong if, also, with everyone’s favorite polenta or risotto, you decide to serve this irreplaceable spread full of health benefits. Although we primarily have it as a holiday dish, the health benefits of cod is so great that it should be served at our tables much more often during this time of the year.

As the smell of cod spreads from generation to generation in our home, we can rightly say that we have “cod in our genes”. And so, if you decide to “sweeten” the upcoming period of rest and enjoyment with some cod spread, be sure you make the right choice for great meals and an even brighter Christmas.

Perfect baguette bread, ideal french toast or the most delicious toast-sandwiches – they all have one thing in common: they should be golden and crispy on the outside, and win us over with their softness on the inside. However, without delicious toppings, no bread will be as tasty as it can be. That’s why we have prepared ideas on how to combine some of your favorite cob spreads with these delicious dough snacks.

Whether you make it at home or buy it outside, you can combine a crunchy and tasty baguette with a fresh classic cod spread, pre-coated with a little olive oil, with cherry tomatoes and black pepper, which will make an excellent meal or snack.

On the other hand, fresh toasts coated with green pepper cod spread, with a little red onion and pieces of cheese are ideal for a light dinner at home. If you like spicy delicacies, Dijon mustard will perfectly spice up your toasts and give them that delicious and slightly “spicy” note.

Toast sandwiches, which always serve well as a snack for guests, should be prepared with cheese as desired. With this combination, cod spread with olives and chopped spring onions will go perfectly. After that, you can lightly coat the hot sandwiches with butter. For additional visual creation, stick a toothpick into your toasted toast, with a few olives on top. Great for both eyes and appetite.

Do you have your favorite “Alden” snack and how do you combine your favorite cod spreads?

Cod spreads provide a variety of creative possibilities for delicious combinations and unforgettable snacks. Numerous spices, ingredients and interesting delicacies, combined with creamy cod spreads, can serve as an appetizer or addition to the main dish, and of course, as an appetizer after an aperitif or with a glass of wine.

Prepare for delicious suggestions with which you can combine Alden’s excellent cod spreads, but keep in mind that this text can trigger even the most demanding appetites.

What you are guaranteed to enjoy is a healthy combination of cod spread on toasted baguette, pre-spread with a clove of garlic, topped with olive oil and sprinkled with crushed paprika. This healthy dessert can be refreshed with chopped, fresh red peppers, and “on the side” you can also enjoy olives that will complete the dish. Yummy!

Crispy baked potatoes prepared in the oven with onions, with a topping of cod spread will ideally balance this super-intense and super-tasty dish, and for those with a braver stomach, we recommend a little salsa sauce in this combination.

If you are a fan of risotto, next time prepare it as you wish, add fresh cherry tomatoes and season the dish with a little lemon sauce – this ideal delicacy will be final with cod spread, which will further enrich these multitudes of flavors.

Of course, a quick option when unannounced, but dear guests may come to you, are crackers coated with fresh cod spread, with basil as a decoration, but also additional delicious sensations. If you are a fan of sour food, Alden’s creamy cod spreads go well with pickles, which you can serve with smoked cheese and almonds – as an appetizer, of course.

We wish you good meals!

Did you know that Croatia is not the only country that discovered the true delicacy worth of Alden’s cob spreads? Yes, this great product also found its way to many of the hearts of our neighbors – northern Italians completely fell in love with this Istria’s white cob.

This famous dried fish that originates from the northern seas, has been a part of our domestic, Istrian meals, for a long time, and it seems it is stuck here forever – today, we all know and love cob fish, while some expect it even as a mandatory choice in many households.

The story about how this cob made it to Italy originates from 1431, when Venetian trader Pietro Querini, after a storm and rough seas, found himself in Norway, where domestic gentle hosts greeted all survived sailors with what they had the most – codfish. When this sailor and trader returned to Venice, he sold all the dried fish he had brought with him and eventually cod then became familiar with Italian and then Croatian cuisine.

It is no wonder that cod stuck around for this long and became such a popular fish that many of us find quite irreplaceable – wouldn’t you agree?

Best believe, when you are tasting Alden cod spreads, you are not only enjoying a tasteful delicacy, but you are, in some ways, also experiencing exquisite bites with a long, rich history.

The Alden brand is known for top-quality cod products that adorn many home tables throughout the year. Maybe some of you know this already, but because of its low energy value, cod is a quality source of protein. Not the mention that eating cod can cause relaxation because it contains a lot of tryptophan, an amino acid that the body uses to synthesize serotonin, the so-called happy hormone. So, there is absolutely no question on what to enjoy at your upcoming dinner date at home – Alden’s got you covered.

But, cod can raise a certain question – should I eat dried or frozen cod, and what is the difference?

We’ll explain it shortly – drying food is the world’s oldest known preservation method, and dried fish has a storage life of several years, while frozen the cod, when done properly, saves its quality to be just as good as if it had never seen the inside of a freezer.

Frozen cod, which is otherwise very popular in Croatia, due to its affordable price and good taste, can be used for recipes that predict salted cod. Frozen cod should definitely be recommended because it is one of the ways to consume this unusually high-quality fish from all nutritional aspects.

On the other hand, the high-grade dried cod preserves the natural shape of the fish’s body and it’s properly cleaned before drying. There are no negative effects of freezing, no mold, and the skin is intact and, besides the great taste, it also has a nice color.

The taste, is, of course, not to be discussed, since all of us have a certain preference. But, the one thing you should consider when trying the available options if you adore cod as much as we do, is – why to not try both?

Dive into the list of Alden’s secrets in preparing cod of refined taste and top quality, and discover what lies behind perfection!

Alden’s cob products have been in production for many years through the family business, to ultimately become today’s delicacy brand with delicious products for you to enjoy with your loved ones.

Alden’s cod production plant was opened in 1993, and its production and preparation have an ever-increasing impact. The long history only confirms the commitment, the experience, and the culinary mastery that has made Alden’s cod the most special fish product in Croatia’s market!

You should not only believe our words and our history – but see (and taste) for yourself why our cod spreads, with their original recipe, won over the hearts and stomachs of our customers and why our way of production made a well-deserved place in the gastronomic offer of almost any important celebrations.

Alden’s Mantecato cod spreads are really the first thought when somebody mentions a time spent with friends, alongside great food and even greater talks and laughs. When you start to prepare a plan, perhaps, to entertain your loved ones in the comfort of your home, you must especially prepare the delicacies you want all of you to enjoy. We have a perfect choice!

Whether you want to serve them with classic cod spread, or you want to spice it up with green pepper, caper, or olives – every flavor will relish your evening perfectly.

You can combine these spreads with real olives, crackers, almonds, or even fruit on the side if you want to make a truly unique, healthy, and aesthetically pleasing appetizer.

Tell us which flavor you would like to try the most, and most definitely share your experience of a lovely evening or afternoon with us on Facebook. We will be thrilled to know that Mantecato cod spreads made your meal an unforgettable one.

Although cod is primarily a holiday dish in Croatia, its benefits are so great that it should be found on our tables during the entire year. Besides the fact that cod is packed with protein, B vitamins, and minerals, it has become one of the favorite meals in the Mediterrane for a good reason – naturally, its irresistible taste. Cod fish’s light texture and strong aroma made it one of the most popular types of fish in the sea.

Alden’s healthy and delicious Mantecato cod spreads come in a variety of ingredients, and it’s hard to tell which one is more beneficial or tastier. Spread with olives, paprikas, caper, or classic spread with cob can make an incredible part of a good nutrition meal. You will especially enjoy Mantecato spread with olives, another incredibly healthy and favorite part of a Mediterranean diet, full of vitamin E and other powerful antioxidants. Caper is known since ancient times, and it is attributed to both healing and aphrodisiac properties, while aprikas, on the other hand, are easy to add to any diet, and also have numerous health benefits and excellent spicey taste.

Consume all the benefits and rich flavors, in one!

The holiday feast would be incomprehensible without the tradition of eating cod on white or red, which are also the most common ways of preparing this “stinky fish.” In Croatia, cod is typically purchased dried form, and Alden offers a few buying tips to ensure you get the real deal and not a forgery.

First and foremost, the Latin name Gadus morhua should be written on the package of frozen cod, as it is the only genuine cod worth purchasing. The fish should be at least 60 inches long with the fins facing up and without scales on the neck and belly. The skin should be rough, with a yellowish dorsal fin and dark spots here and there. Cod has a strong smell in general, but real cod smells strong but healthy, without the aroma of mold, which can indicate that the fish has not been properly dried.

If you follow these tips, you will be able to buy top-quality cod, and if you want to try something a little different for the upcoming holidays, Mantecato cod in various flavors is a great option that will delight you with its authentic taste.

Is a family reunion approaching or are you planning to invite friends over for dinner? Alden Bakalar is an ideal choice for a main course, but also an appetizer!

Mantecato spread with olives is made from the highest quality codfish and as such provides many opportunities to experiment with recipes. For a quick appetizer, we recommend that you prepare crunchy snacks with Mantecato for your lovely guests.

All you need to do is heat slices of bread of choice with a little olive oil, spread Mantecato with olives on all of the pieces, and season as desired. Mantecato spread is of top quality, but also of irresistible taste – so enjoy these little bites with your guests on the next occasion!