Baccalà alla livornese: the original recipe of the typical Tuscan dish – Tale Of Travels

He cod alla livornese it’s a according typical of Tuscan tradition and in particular from Livorno. Brought by explorers from northern Europe and then spread to the Italian coasts, cod is nothing but northern gray cod preserved in salt. This is how the city of Livorno got to know this method of preservation and soon introduced cod in several of its regional recipes. It’s about a homemade dish and with a succulent flavor, perfect for any family lunch or dinner to be enjoyed hot.

The secret to obtaining a fragrant and flawless dish is to let tomato sauce over very low heat, so as to then dip the pieces of cod, previously floured and browned separately with a drizzle of oil. Uncommon in the rest of the peninsula in this variant with potatoes, the cod alla livornese is so irresistible that it will be impossible to give up the bis. As an alternative to the past, if the season permits, you can add gods fresh cherry tomatoesfor an even more fragrant result.

Find out how to prepare cod alla livornese by following the step-by-step procedure and tips.

How to prepare cod alla livornese

Wash the potatoes and dry them with a clean towel 1.

Peel them with a potato peeler 2.

Put them to boil in a pan filled with water 3.

Peel an onion and chop finely 4.

Brown it in a pan with a drizzle of oil 5.

When the onion is transparent, add the tomato puree 6.

Cook the sauce for at least 45 minutes over low heat, stirring frequently seven. Adjust with a pinch of salt.

Rinse the cod thoroughly and cut it into even slices 8.

Dip the fish slices in the flour, making sure it sticks on all sides 9.

Heat a drizzle of oil in another pan, arrange the cod and let it brown well ten.

Blend with white wine 11 and let it evaporate.

At this point, add the cod to the sauce 12.

Once cooked, drain the potatoes and cut them into pieces. 13.

Also add them to the sauce 14.

Cook for another 45 minutes over medium heat, then turn off and season with a pinch of pepper 15.

Add finely chopped parsley 16.

Serve hot 17.

Tips

The cod alla livornese with potatoes is prepared after having desalinate the fish. To do this, you will first need to put it under cold running water and then soak it in a container for 8 hours. After this time, simply repeat the operation (morning and evening) for three days. Even after this procedure, it will surely be quite salty: therefore it is advisable not to add salt to the fish, but only a pinch in the sauce. In any case, you can also adjust at the end of cooking, when the dish is ready.

If you wish, you can also add some black olive pitted, capers and oregano in sauce: they will give flavor and aroma to the dish.

Variants

To exist many options to cook cod, which is just as tasty. Here are some examples: cod alla vicentina (we recognize it because it has no sauce and we use milk), creamed Venetian style, Neapolitan style with tomato, olives and capers and Messinese cod, also called alla ghiotta, with potatoes, salted capers and olives. In Rome, however, it is prepared with sauce and raisins are added during cooking, which will give the dish a slightly sweet taste.

The variant called “stockfish alla livornese” is also well known.

storage

Cod alla livornese can be stored in the refrigerator for 24 hours, in a special airtight container.