Pasta con Baccalà e Finocchio, a venerable recipe from the Roman-Jewish cuisine. Salting changes the nature of the fish. Even after desalting, the fish has a firm and distinctive texture, a fortified and particularly tasty version of itself.
Servings: 4
Time: 30 minutes + desalting time
Ingredients:
Poaching Stock:
- water
- 1 celery stick, roughly chopped
- 1 small carrot
- 1 small onion
- fennel top trimmings
- parsley stalks
- 5 black peppercorns
Pasta:
- 1 lb salt cod, previously desalted
- 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
- 1 medium fennel, thinly sliced
- 4 Tbsp olive oil
- 14 oz fettuccine or tagliatelle
- 4 oz grated Parmesan
- salt and pepper to taste
- 4 Tbsp chopped flat-leaf (Italian) parsley, finely chopped
Poaching Stock:
- water
- 1 celery stick, roughly chopped
- 1 small carrot
- 1 small onion
- fennel top trimmings
- parsley stalks
- 5 black peppercorns
Pasta:
- 450 g salt cod, previously desalted
- 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
- 1 medium fennel, thinly sliced
- 4 Tbsp olive oil
- 400 g fettuccine or tagliatelle
- 100 g grated Parmesan
- salt and pepper to taste
- 4 Tbsp chopped flat-leaf (Italian) parsley, finely chopped
Salt Cod vs Stockfish
Salt cod (bacalhau) is using a long-lived preservation method of salting. Traditionally special varieties of cod were used but due to overfishing, other firm flesh non-oily fish often serve as substitutes such as haddock, pollack, hake and striped bass. The traditional salting process takes three weeks. The fish are placed in large crates, covered with salt and turned over every 4-5 days so that they can absorb all the salt and lose excess water. The salt content absorbed by the fish during salting must exceed 18%. Modern methods, eschewed by the the slow food movement, inject the fish with a salt solution.
Stockfish, on the other hand, is cod dried in the sun on special racks for three months. It seems that its name derives from the Norwegian stokkfisk or from the Dutch stokvis, meaning “stick fish” or “fish dried on sticks”. Stockfish and bacalhau are often confused, especially in Italy where the famous Baccalà alla Vicentina dish uses stoccafisso (stockfish).
Preparation:
Bring enough water to cover the salt cod and the poaching ingredients to a boil in a saucepan. Reduce the heat to a simmer and poach for about 20 minutes or until fish starts to flake. Once the fish is done, lift it out of the liquid with a slotted spoon. When the fish is cool enough to handle, flake it. Set aside on a plate. Save about 2 cups of the poaching water for later. Discard the vegetables.
While the fish is simmering, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high heat in a large frying pan. Add the onion and fennel and cook for about 10 minutes or until translucent. Season with freshly ground pepper.
Bring plenty of water to a boil for the pasta. Add a few drops of olive oil and some salt. Cook pasta according to package directions or “al dente”. Drain pasta and add it to the onion and fennel pan. Give it a stir then add the flaked salt cod, the Parmesan and parsley. Add some of the poaching water, little by little. You should aim for a creamy sauce. Taste for seasonings, if necessary. Toss it gently, drizzle with remaining olive oil and serve with Parmesan on the side.
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