Aïoli garni

Desalt the cod. Rinse the salt cod, cover with cold water and refrigerate for 24 hours, changing the water 3 to 4 times. The cod should taste pleasantly seasoned rather than aggressively salty after the final rinse. Long cold desalting makes the fish usable without warming it. Keep the cod at 4 °C or below throughout desalting.

Prepare the vegetables. Trim the beans, cut the cauliflower and courgettes, peel the carrots and scrub the potatoes while keeping each vegetable separate for its own cooking time. The pieces should be large enough to stay intact on the platter, with similar sizes within each vegetable. Separate preparation prevents overcooking delicate vegetables. Keep prepared vegetables clean and separate from raw fish utensils.

Boil and steam the vegetables. Cook the potatoes, carrots, cauliflower, green beans and courgettes separately or in carefully timed batches in boiling water or steam at about 100 °C, using the 5 g salt; allow about 25 minutes total kitchen cooking time, removing each vegetable when tender. The potatoes and carrots should be tender to a knife but intact, while beans, cauliflower and courgettes should be cooked through without collapsing. Separate timing preserves the different textures. Drain promptly and keep the cooked vegetables protected from contamination.

Hard-cook the eggs. Cook the 6 eggs in simmering water at about 100 °C for 10 minutes, refresh under running cold water, peel and halve. The yolks should be fully set with no liquid centre. A fully set egg suits the platter and avoids undercooked-egg risk in this component. Handle cooked peeled eggs with clean hands and refrigerate if not serving promptly.

Poach the cod. Put the desalted cod in fresh water, bring the water gently to about 85–90 °C and poach for 10 minutes; drain, remove skin and bones and divide into large flakes. The cod should be opaque and separate into broad moist flakes without becoming rubbery. Gentle poaching keeps the fish tender. Verify fish reaches 63 °C or is opaque and separates easily.

Emulsify the aïoli. Pound the garlic with the 2 g salt to a smooth paste, whisk in the pasteurized yolks, then add the 240 ml olive oil first drop by drop and then in a thin stream; finish with the lemon juice. The sauce should be thick, glossy and hold a soft peak on the whisk without an oily pool at the edge. Slow oil addition gives the emulsion time to form. Use pasteurized yolks and keep the finished sauce cold at 4 °C or below until service.

Arrange the grand aïoli. Arrange warm or room-temperature cod and vegetables on a large platter with the halved eggs and serve the chilled aïoli in a separate bowl. The platter should keep each component distinct so diners can combine fish, vegetables, egg and sauce in each portion. Separate presentation prevents the sauce from warming unnecessarily. Discard perishable food left above refrigeration temperature for more than 2 hours.