Baccalà con i Porri is a well known and dearly loved Italian recipe. Salted and dried codfish is an old-fashioned food that has outlived this form of preservation. Salted cod could be stored for long periods and transported easily. No wonder it was historically a very important source of protein in many different cultures.
Yield: 4 servings
Time: 60 minutes (plus 24 hours desalting the salt cod)
Ingredients:
- 1 lb salt cod, soaked for at least 24 hours in cold water, changing the water every 6 hours and then cut into large chunks
- 5 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 lb leeks cut into slices
- 1 medium-size onion, peeled, halved and cut into thin slices
- 1/2 cup fish or vegetable broth or more
- 1 lb ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded and coarsely chopped
- 1/4 cup flat-leaf (Italian) parsley, finely chopped
- freshly ground pepper to taste
- salt to taste (subject to saltiness of the cod)
- juice of 1 lemon or to taste
- 450 g salt cod, soaked for at least 24 hours in cold water, changing the water every 6 hours and then cut into large chunks
- 5 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 450 g leeks cut into slices
- 1 medium-size onion, peeled, halved and cut into thin slices
- 120 ml fish or vegetable broth or more
- 450 g ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded and coarsely chopped
- 7 g flat-leaf (Italian) parsley, finely chopped
- freshly ground pepper to taste
- salt to taste (subject to saltiness of the cod)
- juice of 1 lemon or to taste
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 to a boil in a saucepan. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook it for about 15-20 minutes. Remove from the heat and place it on a plate until ready to use. Check for any hidden fish bones.
Warm 5 tablespoons olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the sliced onion and leeks. Sauté for about 5 minutes. Add the fish or vegetable broth and bring it to a rapid boil. Reduce the heat to low and continue cooking until onion and leeks are soft – about 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes and the salt cod chunks and continue cooking for another 20 minutes or until cod starts to flake but not fall apart. Check now and then turning the tomato-cod mix gently to prevent sticking on the bottom of the saucepan. If necessary add a bit of broth or water.
Shortly before serving, add the chopped parsley, freshly ground pepper and the lemon juice. Serve with new potatoes, a drizzle of olive oil or a crusty bread to mop up the juices.
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