Home / Dinner / Fish and Brewis

Fish and Brewis

Name: Fish and Brewis
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 1 pound salt cod; 4 cakes hard bread (brewis); 1/2 pound salt pork or fatback, diced; 1 small onion, chopped; 1/4 cup butter, melted; Freshly ground black pepper

Fish and brewis recipe: salt cod and soaked hard bread dressed with crispy fried pork scrunchions and melted butter. A rugged Atlantic Canada classic.

⏱ 15 minPrep time

🔥 30 minCook time

🍽 4Servings

🏷 DinnerCategory

☆☆☆☆☆No ratings yet

Fish and brewis was born out of necessity aboard the schooners and in the outports of Atlantic Canada, where salt cod and hard bread kept for months without ice. Brewis — hard bread, or hardtack — was soaked overnight to soften, then tossed with the fish and, if you were lucky, a sizzle of fried salt pork.

Those crispy cubes of pork, called scrunchions, are the whole point: their rendered fat soaks into the fish and bread while the crunchy bits sit on top like edible jewels. It is a rugged, honest plate — the kind of meal that built a coast.

Maritimes recipes →

Step by stepInstructions

Soak the hard bread in cold water overnight, then drain and break it into pieces.
Soak the salt cod in cold water overnight as well, then simmer it in fresh water for 15 to 20 minutes until it flakes, and drain.
Fry the diced salt pork in a skillet over medium heat until the pieces are crisp and golden, and reserve the fat.
Layer the soaked brewis and flaked cod in a serving bowl, pour over the pork fat and melted butter, and toss with the chopped onion and plenty of black pepper.
Scatter the crisp pork scrunchions over the top and serve hot.

💡 Chef tips & storage

The scrunchions — crisp fried salt pork — are non-negotiable; they are what makes this dish sing. If you cannot find hard bread, day-old baguette slices toasted dry are a decent stand-in.

Recipe details

Prep15 min

Cook30 min

Servings4

CategoryDinner

PublishedAugust 17, 2026

Hi, I'm Emily 🧡

Hi, I'm Emily — the cook behind My Comfort Recipes. Simple, tested comfort food for real weeknights, written down the way grandma would. Pull up a chair. More about me →

Fish and Brewis

Step by stepInstructions

💡 Chef tips & storage

Rate this recipe

Recipe details

Hi, I'm Emily 🧡

Log In

Get free recipes every week

Fish and Brewis

Step by stepInstructions

💡 Chef tips & storage

Rate this recipe

Recipe details

Hi, I'm Emily 🧡

Keep browsingYou might also like

Smörgåsbord

Korean Fried Chicken (Yangnyeom)

Capuns

Log In