Last Saturday I decided to make fish for lunch at the last minute. The problem with shopping for fish at the last minute is that there is often no fish left. Good fish stores in Rome get a limited amount of fresh fish in the morning, selling pretty much their entire stock before they close for the day, often at 1 or 2 in the afternoon
We arrived at one of best fish stores in town, Galuzzi, at about 1:15. Sure enough, we were greeted with a few lonely fish that were either too small or way too big for anyone to buy. And that’s when Domenico spotted a container full of water with big slabs of white fish floating about. “Baccalà!”
Baccalà , or salt cod, has got to be one of Domenico’s favorite dishes, and one that I hadn’t made for a long time. There was a time when, as a good Roman housewife, I would head to the alimentari on Fridays, to buy a few pieces that had already been soaked and were ready to go. But somehow it just fell off my radar. And there was no excuse that it was hard to make, since in Rome it is so easy to buy it pre-soaked.
One of my favorite ways to eat baccalà is alla Vicentina. Made with lots of onions, milk, flour and cheese, it is just about the richest, most satisfying comfort food imaginable. But since we’re trying to eat less this month (hence the trip to the fish store) I opted for a lighter, but no less delicious, recipe.
Most baccalà recipes call for frying or browning the soaked fillets first, before you do anything to them. Instead, I simply sauteed a huge amount of celery and onions, then added the baccalà, along with tons of olives and capers. While you can certainly just use water, wine is better. And if you use my trick of emptying leftover wine into ice trays, you’ll always have some on hand.
And finally a few potatoes, partly to make Domenico happy but also to counteract and absorb some of the saltiness from the olives and capers and any residual salt from the fillets themselves.
I guess the moral of this story is that the early bird gets the best fresh fish. But if sleeping late on a Saturday morning means coming home with a big, fat piece of baccalà, I’m ok with that.
baccalà with olives and capers
serves 4
2 pounds / 1 kilo soaked baccalà*
4 tblsp olive oil
1 large onion, diced
5 stalks celery, diced
1 cup pitted olives
1/2 cup capers**
2 potatoes, cut into small chunks
1 cup white wine
In a pan large enough to hold all of the ingredients, pour the olive oil and heat over medium flame. Add onions and celery and let cook for about 10 minutes until softened.
Dry, and cut the baccalà into portion sized pieces and place it in the pan. Add the olives, capers and then the wine. Let the wine bubble for 2 or 3 minutes, and then add the potatoes. Cover and cook until the potatoes are done, about 20 minutes or so. If it looks dry, you can add a bit more water.
I find that sometimes the baccalà falls apart, and sometimes it remains very firm. I have a feeling it has to do with the quality and type of baccalà. But even when it falls apart, it’s still pretty good.
Serve topped with parsley if you have some (I didn’t). And of course a big loaf of crusty bread is the perfect thing to sop up all the juices.
*If you can’t find pre soaked baccalà then you must soak it first. Rinse off the fish and let it soak in a big container of water, in a cool place (or in the refrigerator), changing the water several times a day, for two days.
**I used salted capers, from Pantelleria. I prefer salted capers, rather than those preserved in brine. If you do use salted ones, makes sure you rinse and then soak them well, to remove the salt.
Could you do this with any fish?
Yes, I think this would work well with any white, firm fleshed, fish.
Mmm Baccalà… What a great idea for a cold winter’s night. Love the tip re- freezing wine in ice trays.
Bacala la Vicentina sound awfully good!, would you mind very much publishing the fatter version?
thanks Arturo
As soon as this so-called diet is finished…..
You are so fortunate to have pre-soaked baccala.
Yes, I know, it’s fantastic! I’m very lucky.
What fish market did you go to/do you recommend? I’m living in the Primavalle neighborhood and usually have to make a trip to find fresh fish.
I go to Galuzzi on Via Venezia, off of Via Nazionale. They are one of the best in Rome. Only open in the mornings.
Leftover wine?
looks and sounds so delicious. Is this a dish that would typically be on the menus in Rome? My DH and I are visiting as a birthday gift in May. Would love any recommendations for places to enjoy good home cooked food and friendly italian atmosphere. We will be visiting Venice, Florence and Rome. Any suggestions would be so appreciated. Just happened upon your blog and look forward to reading more!
Just finished a book by Elizabeth Romer in which she described something called stoccafissa “stock fish” that comes from the North Sea but rather than being preserved in salt it is air dried, the fish hanging is those stiff triangular shapeswhich you have to beat the you know what out of before soaking! She recommended looking for fish that is preserved in salt in barrels. You really are lucky to be able to purchase it already soaked, saves a few days time! I have never tried it but will be on the lookout when we are in Rome in a few months.
Baccalà is “controversial” in our house so I don’t get to make it as often as I’d like. It’s so incredibly versatile. I miss being able to buy it pre-soaked, it makes things so very easy, too.
Elizabeth, I’d love to make this recipe in the near future and will plan to use salted capers. How long would you recommend that I let them soak? A couple of hours, overnight… ? Thanks for the beautiful recipe!
It depends on how salty they are. The ones I was using were actually from last year, and so very salty. Not only did I let them soak for an hour, I then rinsed them off and boiled them for about 30 seconds. This was something I was taught to do on the island of Salina.
Wonderful! Thank you for that helpful response.
This is beautiful – I just got some baccalà the other day and was assuming baccalà mantecato was on the menu… not I am not so sure. I am really enjoying your blog. A friend just sent me a link today. ~ David
Hi Elizabeth, I wonder is pre-soaked bacala will last 3 days in the fridge and still in water/soaking.
please let me know as I am worried to cook it.
Once the bacala has been soaked, you should think of it as fresh fish. You can either freeze it, if you aren’t going to use it right away, or else keep changing the water daily. But three days sounds a bit much to me.