Baccala Alla Bolognese
Submitted by winnipeg
Baccalà alla Bolognese is a classic Italian salt cod dish: soaked, flour-dredged, and pan-fried in butter and olive oil with garlic, parsley, and a bright squeeze of lemon. Simple, elegant, and ready in minutes.
YIELD
4 servingsPREP
10 minCOOK
10 minREADY
20 minBologna knows how to treat salt cod with respect.
This traditional preparation is all about restraint. Dried cod gets a two-day soak to rehydrate and shed its salt, then gets cut into chunks, dredged in flour, and pan-fried in a mixture of butter and olive oil until crisp and golden on every side.
Minced garlic and fresh parsley go in at the end, followed by a few knobs of cold butter and a generous pour of fresh lemon juice that brings the whole dish alive.
No heavy sauces, no complicated techniques. Just beautifully browned fish with bright, clean flavors.
Chef Tips
- Soak the dried cod for a full two days, changing the water several times. Shortcuts here mean salty, tough fish.
- Pat the soaked cod completely dry before dredging. Wet fish won’t brown properly and will steam instead of sear.
- Get the skillet hot before adding the fish. You want a golden crust, not a pale, flabby exterior.
- Add the garlic after the fish is browned so it doesn’t burn. Burnt garlic turns bitter and will ruin the dish.
Ingredients
Directions
Put the cod in a deep dish, add cold water to cover, and let it soak for 2 days in the refrigerator in order for it to “plump” up and change the water several times. Rinse and dry the fish and cut it into 2-inch chunks.
Dredge the fish in the flour, shaking off the excess. In a large skillet, heat 2 Tbl of the butter and the olive oil. Add the fish pieces and brown them well on all sides over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the fish with the minced garlic and parsley and stir the mixture gently. Cut the remaining 2 Tbl butter into bits and add it to the pan.
Sprinkle the fish with salt and pepper and pour over the lemon juice. Serve immediately.
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