Baccalà is salt cod, and cod is not a Mediterranean fish. However, Italians have always imported baccalà, it has always played a very important role in the Italian diet, for two reasons:
The flesh should be pliable, compact, and not feel woody; you should try to select a piece of uniform thickness so it will soak evenly. To prepare it, rinse the salt off it and soak it in cold water for 12 or more hours, depending upon its thickness (refrigerate it in hot weather), changing the water 2-3 times daily. Once it has soaked skin it, pick out the bones, and it's ready for use.
Got some Baccalà? How about
Baccalà Mollicato
To serve 4:
2 pounds (900 g) baccalà, already soaked
4 round pickled peppers
1 clove garlic, minced
a pinch of dried oregano
A small bunch parsley, minced
1/4 cup raisins, plumped in warm water and drained
1/2 cup walnut meats, chopped
The crumb of day old bread, crusts removed
Breadcrumbs
The juice of half a lemon
Salt and pepper to taste
Olive oil
Preheat your oven to 360 F (180 C).
Drain the baccalà, skin it, bone it, and break it into pieces; but them in a baking tin and sprinkle the garlic and parsley over them.
Stem and seed the peppers. Crumble the stale bread in a bowl, and combine it with a drop of water, the walnuts, oregano, and a little olive oil. The mixture should be slightly moist; use it to fill the peppers, and put them in the pan too. Sprinkle everything with breadcrumbs, the raisins, lemon juice, and a little olive oil.
Bake the fish for a half hour, check seasoning, and serve.
Baccalà on About:
Bakaliaros me Skorthalia: Fried Cod Steaks with Garlic Puree
How to Select Fresh Fish
How to Serve a Whole Fish at Table
Other Baccalà Recipes
Other Fish Recipes
- It was relatively inexpensive.
- It keeps well, and could therefore be transported inland without fear of spoilage, an important consideration in the days before refrigeration.
The flesh should be pliable, compact, and not feel woody; you should try to select a piece of uniform thickness so it will soak evenly. To prepare it, rinse the salt off it and soak it in cold water for 12 or more hours, depending upon its thickness (refrigerate it in hot weather), changing the water 2-3 times daily. Once it has soaked skin it, pick out the bones, and it's ready for use.
Got some Baccalà? How about
Baccalà Mollicato
To serve 4:
2 pounds (900 g) baccalà, already soaked
4 round pickled peppers
1 clove garlic, minced
a pinch of dried oregano
A small bunch parsley, minced
1/4 cup raisins, plumped in warm water and drained
1/2 cup walnut meats, chopped
The crumb of day old bread, crusts removed
Breadcrumbs
The juice of half a lemon
Salt and pepper to taste
Olive oil
Preheat your oven to 360 F (180 C).
Drain the baccalà, skin it, bone it, and break it into pieces; but them in a baking tin and sprinkle the garlic and parsley over them.
Stem and seed the peppers. Crumble the stale bread in a bowl, and combine it with a drop of water, the walnuts, oregano, and a little olive oil. The mixture should be slightly moist; use it to fill the peppers, and put them in the pan too. Sprinkle everything with breadcrumbs, the raisins, lemon juice, and a little olive oil.
Bake the fish for a half hour, check seasoning, and serve.
Baccalà on About:
Bakaliaros me Skorthalia: Fried Cod Steaks with Garlic Puree
How to Select Fresh Fish
How to Serve a Whole Fish at Table
Other Baccalà Recipes
Other Fish Recipes