🇮🇹 Italian · Main Dish
🐟 Baccalà alla Vicentina
Baccalà alla Vicentina
Dried salt cod, soaked for days to remove its salt, then simmered for hours in milk, onion, and anchovies until it breaks down into a rich, creamy stew unique to Vicenza.
This dish, technically made with stockfish (air-dried, unsalted cod) rather than true salted baccalà despite the name, requires patience above all — a long soak to rehydrate and a very slow simmer that gradually breaks the fish down until it nearly melts into the milk-based sauce.
Ingredients
Equipment: Large bowl for soaking, Heavy-bottomed pot with lid
- 800 g (1.75 lb) dried stockfish or salt cod
- 2 onions, thinly sliced
- 4 anchovy fillets
- 500 ml (2 cups) whole milk
- 150 ml (⅔ cup) extra virgin olive oil, plus more as needed
- 40 g (¼ cup) grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
- Fresh parsley, chopped
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Creamy polenta, for serving
Method
- Soak the dried stockfish or salt cod in cold water for 2–3 days, changing the water several times daily, until softened and much of the salt has been drawn out.
- Drain, remove any skin and bones, and flake the fish into large pieces.
- Warm a little olive oil in a heavy pot and sauté the onions until soft, then add the anchovies, stirring until they dissolve.
- Layer the flaked fish over the onions in the pot, season lightly, and pour in the milk and a generous amount of olive oil.
- Cover and cook over the lowest possible heat for 3–4 hours, stirring only occasionally and gently, allowing the fish to slowly break down into the sauce.
- Add more olive oil during cooking if the mixture looks dry, as the dish should remain rich and saucy.
- Stir in the Parmigiano near the end and check the seasoning.
- Serve hot, spooned generously over creamy polenta, finished with fresh parsley.
Chef Tips
- This dish genuinely cannot be rushed — the long, gentle cooking is what transforms tough dried fish into something silky.
- Stir gently and infrequently rather than vigorously, to avoid breaking the fish down too much too quickly.
- A generous hand with olive oil throughout cooking is traditional and essential to the dish's final creamy texture.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Not soaking the fish long enough, leaving it too salty or tough to properly break down.
- Cooking over heat that's too high, which can cause the milk to scorch or separate.
- Being too sparing with olive oil, resulting in a dry rather than lusciously rich final dish.
Nutrition (per serving)
Health Benefits
- A good source of lean protein and calcium from the dairy-enriched sauce.
Cultural Note
Baccalà alla Vicentina is so closely tied to the city of Vicenza that a dedicated confraternity exists to protect and promote the traditional recipe, insisting on stockfish rather than true salted cod.
Storage & Serving
Storage: Refrigerate up to 3 days; flavor deepens further the next day.
Reheating: Reheat very gently on the stovetop over low heat, stirring occasionally.
Serve with: Creamy polenta, traditionally, A dry white wine from the Veneto