Stockfish recipe: Baccalà alla Vicentina

Dear Hivers, I hope you love fish, because today I have a special fish on the menu, the stockfish. Baccalà alla Vicentina is the symbolic recipe of the city of Vicenza (Italy). A dish known and appreciated all over the world, thanks to its simplicity and its unmistakable flavour. Baccalà is the Italian word for dried stockfish, especially codfish. Stockfish is an unsalted fish, dried by air on the foreshore. Drying food is one of the oldest ways of preserving food. Dried fish have a shelf life of several years.

Dried stockfish (codfish)

Iceland, Norway, Greenland, and the Faroe Islands are indeed the main producers of stockfish. Today, Italy is the second country in the world in stockfish imports. The spread of stockfish in Italy began around the fifteenth century and is linked to the influence of the Catholic Church. As fish meat is a nutritious food with a high protein content, it quickly established itself as a substitute for meat during fasting periods.

Baccalà alla Vicentina is a fairly calorie-dense recipe, rich in fat but also containing a good supply of protein, vitamins and minerals. However, it certainly cannot be classified as a food suitable for everyday consumption.
How to cook Baccalà alla Vicentina? Below I will give you one of the many recipes for Baccalà alla Vicentina.

Ingredients for 4 persons:

• 300 g dried stockfish (preferably spider-type)
• 300 g onions
• 250 ml whole cow's milk
• 150 ml extra virgin olive oil
• 20 g grated Parmesan cheese
• 20 g wheat flour
• 10 g salt

For polenta for 4 persons:

• 150 g maize meal
• 0,7 l milk
• 0,7 l water
• pinch of salt

Soak the cod in cold water for 2-3 days in the fridge, changing the water every 4 hours if possible.

Just put into the water

After two days soaking in water

Once soaked, open the fish lengthwise, remove the bones and clean other impurities.

Roast the finely chopped onions until browned. Be generous with the oil. When the onions are lightly brown, you can pour the redundant oil into the fireproof pan in which you will cook the fish.

Spread the roasted onions over the fish.

Add the grated Parmesan cheese.

Fold over the stockfish like it is a sandwich.

Cut the fish into pieces (about 5 cm wide).

Dredge the wider sides of the fish pieces in flour and place them in a baking dish.

When all fish pieces are in the baking tray, sprinkle it with flour.

Pour the oil into the baking dish until the fish is almost covered and then add the milk until the fish is completely covered with the liquid. Season with salt.

Cook on a very low heat for about 4 hours and 30 minutes, it should be slowly boiling in the pan. The temperature depends on the strength of your oven.
Do not turn or stir the fish while cooking.

The ideal side dish for Baccalà alla Vicentina is polenta. You can cook it in the meantime, as you have more than four hours 🤔 Cook the maize meal in a mixture of water and milk with a pinch of salt for about half an hour.

By an old traditional saying the fish must swim three times. The first time in the sea, the second time in oil and the third time in wine. So, we just need to add a glass of wine, and the meal will be perfect. I recommend a glass or two 😊 of Pinot Blanc, which pairs perfectly with this dish.

Bon Appetite 🍽️ 🍴 😋

Thanks for reading,
feel free to leave a comment, I will be glad to reply to.
Best regards, @miljo76