Italy is a maritime nation, but there are large sections inland where fresh fish isn't as easy to come by, and this was even truer in the past, when travel time was measured in days or weeks, intervals much too long for fresh fish. Salt fish, on the other hand, keeps very well, and this baccalà recipe is from the inland areas of the Abruzzo. To serve 4:
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 4/5 pounds (800 g) soaked baccalà (see link to instructions)
- 2 bell peppers, one yellow and the other red
- 1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed
- A small bunch of parsley, coarsely chopped
- Olive oil
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Preparation:
Stem and seed the peppers, cut them into flat strips, and run the strips skin-side up under your broiler to blister the skins. As soon as the pieces are cool enough to touch, skin them, and cut them into thin strips. Season the peppers with a drizzle of olive oil, the chopped parsley, and the garlic clove (if you want more garlic flavor, mince the clove).
Lightly oil the pieces of baccalà. Heat a non-stick skillet large enough for the pieces to lie flat in a single layer, and cook the pieces, skin-side down, over a fairly brisk flame for 3-4 minutes. Fip them and cook the other sides for 2 minutes. Remove the skin (it will come off easily), transfer the pieces to a serving platter, and add the bell peppers, spooning the drippings from the peppers over all. Check seasoning and serve at once.
A wine? I might be tempted by a Rossese di Dolceacqua, which is an intensely perfumed pale Ligurian red, or by a rosé.
Lightly oil the pieces of baccalà. Heat a non-stick skillet large enough for the pieces to lie flat in a single layer, and cook the pieces, skin-side down, over a fairly brisk flame for 3-4 minutes. Fip them and cook the other sides for 2 minutes. Remove the skin (it will come off easily), transfer the pieces to a serving platter, and add the bell peppers, spooning the drippings from the peppers over all. Check seasoning and serve at once.
A wine? I might be tempted by a Rossese di Dolceacqua, which is an intensely perfumed pale Ligurian red, or by a rosé.
